Taming Sasuke
by Nanaki Lioness
Summary: [AU, SasuNaru] Sasuke is totally, utterly clueless when it comes to animals, love, and most other things. Complete.
1. Step One

Disclaimer: The characters, items, places etc of Naruto are property of Masashi Kishimoto. These objects are used without permission for entertainment only, not for making money. No infringement is intended.

_AU SasuNaru! That's the eventual __**homosexual pairing of Sasuke and Naruto, **__set in the __**real world, not Konoha.**__ If you don't like, don't read and __**click the back button now!**_

_As often with me, here's a warning for __**occasional swearing**__. I also must point out now- here in England, indoor cats aren't the norm. People generally let their cats outside, and that's what I'm working with here. Please don't start arguments with me about the cruelty of outdoor cats vs. indoor cats, since I'm not going to rise to it. Each to their own opinion and all. That aside- please enjoy!_

_I apologise in advance if things seem a little choppy in places- this has undergone a lot more editing that usual, because I just could not get happy with it XD_

**Taming Sasuke**

**Step One  
**

_By Nanaki Lioness_

Naruto was really very fond of his job.

No, that was an understatement. He _adored_ his job. He worked in a pet store- a job he'd been given by his good friend-come-semi-adoptive-father, Iruka. 'I'll let you work here if you don't spend all day playing with the animals', he had said.

Naruto was currently doing just that, stroking a rather large black and white cat that was sitting on the counter with him. He was the store's own cat- he had turned up one day, mewing for food, and upon being fed had taken up residence there. He had a collar around his neck, citing his name as Barney. Iruka had put up posters to locate the cat's real owners, but nothing ever came of it. So, he had stayed.

Every morning, he would be outside the back door, waiting to be let in for breakfast. At the end of the day, he would wait by the back door to be let out. Even on stormy, rainy days he would come by in the morning completely dry. Iruka suspected he had a second home at night, and he was using the shop as a second feeding ground, but he adored the cat too much to mind or to try and keep him out.

He was a long haired Tuxedo cat, slightly larger than your average cat because of his extreme love for food. He was also overly affectionate, which at first, Iruka had found endearing.

The only problem was he wanted both of these, all of the time.

"N-no!" Naruto was saying, trying to push the cat away as he attempted to take the money he'd been given out of his hand. "This is _not_ food, Barney!"

Barney mewed pathetically and looked up at him with begging eyes.

"No," Naruto told him firmly, putting the money in the till and picking the cat up, moving him further along the counter. "You've just been fed you greedy bastard."

The customer took their purchase of hamster bedding and smiled, giving Barney a quick stroke and exiting the store. He held the door open for another customer, who took it from him without a word and entered the small store. His dark eyes swept slowly around, as though he were looking for something.

"Can I help you?" Naruto called, stroking Barney, who had snuck back across the counter and was slamming his head into Naruto's hand demanding affection.

"Dog food," the boy answered, turning to Naruto.

"Ah, right. It's the back of the store."

The boy made his way over to where Naruto was pointing, frowning as he noticed the huge array of tins, packets and boxes in front of him.

"I have no idea what I'm looking for," he admitted.

"Well, does the dog have a preference on food?" Naruto asked, making his way to the boy's side.

"Dogs have preferences?" The boy responded. Naruto looked at him incredulously.

"Of _course_," he replied. "All animals have something they prefer. If you're not sure, it's best to go with something like _this_."

He reached down, picking up a tin of rabbit in gravy, handing it to the boy with a satisfied smile.

"If he doesn't like that, I'll be surprised," Naruto told him.

"Right. Thanks," the boy replied, looking at the tin as though it was going to bite him.

Naruto made his way back to the till, stopping halfway there as he noticed Barney- who was uncharacteristically hissing from his spot on the counter.

"Barney?" He said, walking over to him and putting a hand on his back. The cat's hackles were raised, and he was looking in the direction of the new visitor, hissing and arching his back.

The dark haired boy looked over, looking slightly confused at the cat's reaction.

"Barney, what's wrong?" Naruto soothed, giving the boy an apologetic look. "He normally loves everybody- maybe he can smell the dog on you?"

"I should hope not," the boy muttered. "It's not my dog. I'm not really an animal person."

"Ah, that's it then," Naruto said, grinning and picking Barney up, holding him to his chest and rubbing his chin to calm him. "He can sense that."

The boy went to the counter with the tin of food, and a packet of dog treats, dropping them down and glaring at Barney. The cat was hissing at him again.

Naruto picked the cat up, depositing him on a chair behind him and ringing up the items.

"Sorry," he apologized. The boy shrugged, apparently not minding that the cat had taken a disliking to him.

Naruto picked up the dog treats, grinning slightly.

"So much for not being a dog person- treats, eh?"

"I was ordered to get them," the boy responded, redirecting his glare towards Naruto. "By the dog's owner."

"Ah, so you've been roped into a bit of dog-sitting, eh?" Naruto said, placing the items into a carrier bag. "Sounds like fun."

"Sounds like _hell_," the boy corrected, taking his bag with a small, wry smile. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

Naruto's face lit up. "Well, I could give you a quick run through of what's best for you to do? I love animals, but we're not allowed any in my apartment, so I have to make do with Barney here."

He laid a hand on the cat, who had calmed down slightly, but still seemed on-edge to the visitor.

The boy hesitated a moment before leaning on the counter slightly, sighing. "Alright…" He read Naruto's name badge. "Naruto."

Naruto smiled. "And you are?"

"Sasuke."

"Right- Sasuke. How long have you got him for?"

"Until his owner gets back from vacation," Sasuke replied.

"I presume he's living with you right now, then?"

Sasuke grimaced. "Yes."

"Oh, it's not that bad," Naruto replied, sensing his distaste. "Nothing like having an animal curled up on the bed, or waking you up in the morning."

"You make that sound like a good thing," Sasuke answered flatly. "I tried shutting my bedroom door but he howls outside all night, and it's driving me insane."

"You shut him out?" Naruto echoed. "Of _course_ he howls- he's lonely!"

"How do I make him shut up?" Sasuke asked, running a hand through his hair and sighing, frustration evident in his voice. Naruto took a closer look at him, noticing he looked tired and worn. Black circles framed his dark eyes, and his skin was pale. Apparently, he wasn't getting much sleep with his new housemate.

"If he's normally allowed in his master's bedroom, he'll howl and whine to be let in when you shut him out," Naruto explained. "The quickest way to stop him is to just let him in."

He stopped, hearing barking coming from outside the store.

"Is that him?" He asked.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair again, looking like he wanted to either kill himself, or kill the dog. "_Yes_."

Naruto patted Barney quickly and hurried outside to the front of the store, pulling the door open and looking outside. He was met by a small, dark haired pug, who looked up at him with wide eyes and wagged his tail, tongue hanging from his mouth happily.

"Hello there!" Naruto said gently, hearing Sasuke come up behind and him sigh, leaning in the doorway and keeping the door open by doing so. Naruto let go of the door upon seeing this, walking over to the pug and crouching down next to him.

"What's his name?" He asked, searching for a tag on the dog's collar and not finding one.

"Pakkun."

"Hello there, Pakkun," Naruto said, patting the dog on the head and rubbing around his ears. "Aren't you lovely?"

"You sound like a moron talking to him like that," Sasuke interjected rudely from behind them. Naruto glanced round at him, glaring.

"You can tell you're not an animal person," he said. "Pugs are sociable little things. They can be really clingy- they _need_ affection."

"He _needs_ to learn to shut up and let me sleep," Sasuke replied with a sigh.

"Let him in your bedroom tonight," Naruto replied, giving Pakkun one last pat on the head and standing up. "You'll sleep better than having to listen to the poor thing whine outside all night."

He stepped past Sasuke back inside the shop, looking slightly sheepish.

"I'm not supposed to leave the shop when I'm alone, but I'm a sucker for dogs," he said quietly, as though someone might hear him, even though nobody but he and Sasuke were there. He glanced over his shoulder at Barney, who had curled up in his chair behind the counter. "And cats."

Sasuke smiled slightly. "Thanks for the advice."

"Good luck," Naruto replied, making his way back to the counter, scooping Barney up into his arms and holding him to his chest. Barney mewed slightly in satisfaction, attempting to tunnel his head into Naruto's arm. "Bye."

Sasuke gave him a short wave. "See you."

He walked through the door, letting it close behind him. Naruto watched him untie Pakkun through the glass, smiling slightly and absently stroking Barney as he did so. He liked this Sasuke person, even if Barney didn't.

-.-.-

The following morning, Naruto was playing with Barney when he heard the front door open, glancing up from his place kneeling on the floor to see a familiar face.

He smiled, giving the toy he was waving above Barney one last shake before setting it aside and standing, giving Sasuke a small wave.

"You don't look so tired this morning," he commented. "Did letting him in your bedroom help you sleep?"

Sasuke stalked to the counter with another tin of rabbit in gravy food, looking thoroughly annoyed. "He didn't whine, he just curled up on the bottom of my bed," he replied, slamming the tin down.

"Then why are you so angry?" Naruto replied, confused.

"Because he didn't keep me up by _whining_, he woke me up at five this morning by peeing on my bed instead."

Naruto stifled a laugh, earning a very dark gaze from the boy in front of him. "Well, did you let him out the night before?"

"I'm supposed to?"

Naruto sighed, rolling his eyes. "Well, of _course_ he peed on your bed then! When was the last time he went outside yesterday?"

Sasuke shrugged. "When I came here in the afternoon."

"Well, it's your fault then," Naruto replied.

"Me?" Sasuke replied, eyes widening. "How is that my fault?"

Naruto sighed. "You really _are_ clueless, aren't you? Let's put it this way- treat him like you would treat yourself. If someone had locked _you_ in a room for hours on end when you needed to pee, you'd have probably have done the same as he did, right?"

Sasuke looked skyward, shaking his head slowly in an 'I'm not going to dignify that with an answer' way. "So how do I clean my mattress?"

Naruto smiled weakly. "You throw it out."

Sasuke glared at him. "No, really, how do I clean it?"

"I'm serious." Naruto responded. "It's tricky. You can clean it all you like, but you'll smell it in hot weather. Trust me."

Sasuke leant over the desk, sighing heavily. "Great."

"Don't be angry with Pakkun," Naruto urged. "It's not his fault."

Sasuke sighed again, pulling himself upright. "I guess I should get going and buy a new bed, then."

"Do you want to leave him here for a bit?" Naruto asked kindly. "Barney's fine with other animals- do you know what Pakkun is like with them?"

"I have no idea," Sasuke replied with a sigh, holding up the dog food. "I should pay you for this, by the way."

"Oh! Yeah," Naruto said, taking the money for the dog food from Sasuke. He'd been so engrossed in the conversation that he hadn't forgotten. "Leave him here while you go shopping, I'll take care of him."

Sasuke smiled slightly. "I appreciate that."

"Bring him in, then!"

Sasuke walked outside, untying Pakkun and leading him inside the store wearily. Pakkun yapped happily when he saw Naruto, straining on the lead to get to him.

"Hello boy!" Naruto said, dropping to his knees as Sasuke let the leash go. Pakkun bounded across to him as fast as his legs could carry him, his leash flapping along behind him. He jumped up at Naruto, licking his hands and face.

"He's so lovely," Naruto said, grabbing the leash and leading him behind the counter. "He's _such_ an affectionate little thing. Like our Barney here."

Barney jumped up onto the counter and hissed at Sasuke again.

"Like our Barney _normally_," Naruto sighed, tying Pakkun's leash to the desk and grabbing Barney, putting him down next to the pug.

The two animals looked at each other for a moment, hackles rising on both sides. Barney circled the dog a couple of times before yawning and collapsing onto the floor, curling up by his side.

Pakkun sniffed Barney suspiciously before lying down next to him, looking up at Naruto with big, brown eyes.

"It's alright, he won't hurt you," Naruto told him.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "So… I'll pick him up in an hour or so?"

"Take your time, I'll keep him entertained," Naruto replied, dropping to his knees and patting Pakkun on the head.

"Alright…" Sasuke replied. "Can I leave this?"

He shook the tin of dog food in his hand. Naruto nodded, taking it from him and placing it under the counter. "Have fun."

Sasuke sighed. "Yeah, thanks, I suppose."

He made his way out of the store, leaving Naruto to sigh happily and sit down in his chair, watching Barney and Pakkun curled up with each other. He was truly in his element around animals.

-.-.-

"Naruto! Who is this little guy?"

Naruto looked up with a jolt, looking sheepishly up at his manager.

"Ah, Iruka, I didn't see you come in," he lied through his teeth, unwilling to say he had been napping in the quiet afternoon.

Iruka was pointing down at Pakkun, who was still curled up by Barney's side.

"That's Pakkun," Naruto supplied, standing up and ignoring his spine's protests at doing so. "He's a customer's. Well, sort of. A customer's looking after him for someone else, and he hasn't got a clue."

"Well, why do we have him?" Iruka asked, crouching down and rubbing behind the pug's ears.

"I offered to take care of him for a while," Naruto explained. "The guy had to go and buy a new mattress since Pakkun had a little accident on it."

Iruka smiled slightly at that, standing upright. "I see. Barney seems to have taken a liking to him."

"You know Barney," Naruto said with a shrug. "He loves everybody." He frowned slightly. "Well, everyone except the guy looking after Pakkun. He hisses at him."

"He does?" Iruka asked, eyes wide. "How strange."

"He's not an animal person," Naruto shrugged. "I guess Barney can tell."

Iruka placed a piece of paper down in front of Naruto, who picked it up and looked at it, frowning.

"Another worker?" He queried.

"A part timer for the weekends and busy mornings," Iruka explained. "Lee is going off to college out of town and won't be able to fill in anymore, and I'm finding it hard to be here as often as I need to. Put this up in the window- I need to head off again."

"Alright," Naruto replied, picking up some sticky tape from under the counter and setting about attaching some to the corners.

He had just finished when the door opened, and he looked up to see Sasuke re-enter the store.

"Any luck?" He asked.

Sasuke didn't look very pleased, he noted, stalking over to the counter and glaring over it to Pakkun. Pakkun looked up at him with soft, brown eyes, cocking his head slightly.

"You just cost me a _lot_ of money," he sighed.

"You found a mattress then?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke nodded. "I managed to convince them to deliver it today as well, so I need to get home. Thanks for looking after him for me."

"He was very well behaved- he just sat with Barney all the time," Naruto told him, untying the lead and walking Pakkun around the counter to Sasuke. Barney stood up and hissed at Sasuke again.

"Yes, alright, I get the message- you hate me," Sasuke snapped down at him.

"Make sure you let him out tonight," Naruto snickered, handing Sasuke the dog food he'd left earlier as well.

Sasuke glared darkly at him. "He's staying outside all evening."

Naruto's face fell. "You can't do that to him!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Why not?"

"He needs _human interaction_," Naruto stressed. "Unless you're planning on staying outside all evening with him, too?"

"Why don't you come by and deal with him then?" Sasuke said, continuing to glare at the blonde.

Naruto grinned at him. "I might just have to do that. You seem like you could do with a break."

Sasuke, surprisingly, seemed to warm to that idea. He picked up a pen, beckoning to Naruto to hand him some paper, which he did so. He noted his address down neatly and quickly, handing it to Naruto.

"Since you seem to like him so much, come round and see to him for a bit," Sasuke told him. "I could do with an evening spent _without_ a dog trying to crawl into my lap and drown me with its tongue."

Naruto smirked. "He's just saying he likes you."

"He's just trying to make me take ten showers a night, you mean."

Naruto picked up the sign about needing another member of staff, meaning to put it in the window, but his gaze fell on Sasuke instead.

"Say- do you work, Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked at him curiously. "Not right now."

"Are you looking?"

"I don't see how it's any of your business."

Naruto held up the sign, which stated 'Part time help wanted' in big, bold lettering. He grinned widely. "There's a job opening here if you want it, Sasuke."

Sasuke glared at him. "I don't _like_ animals, idiot."

"We don't _sell_ any animals other than hamsters and mice and things."

"Those are still animals. _Vermin_, in fact."

Naruto's face fell, glancing over towards the line of plastic hamster housing to his right. "They're cute! All you have to do is put a glove on and take the one the customer wants out, put it in a special box, and hand them over. It's easy! You spend more time with people in this job than animals."

"I don't like _people_ either."

Naruto frowned. "You'd get to work along side me?"

Sasuke frowned back at him. "Is that supposed to be a _good_ thing?"

"Why did I offer to help you again?" Naruto sighed, sitting down in his chair. Barney, who had finished eating, promptly jumped up into his lap, prodding his thighs with his paws to make him more comfortable to lie on. "Ow! Barney- no claws," Naruto scolded, pulling the cat's paws up and tapping them gently.

"Because you seem to have some kind of attachment to my dog," Sasuke replied. "And you seem to think spending an evening with him will be _fun_."

"_Your_ dog?"

Sasuke scowled at him. "You know what I mean."

Naruto snickered. "Go on- go home to get your mattress. I'll see you tonight, Sasuke."

Sasuke pulled on Pakkun's leash to indicate he should get up off the floor, rolling his eyes at Naruto and heading to the exit. "Yeah. I'll see you tonight."

-.-.-

_Author's Notes: Barney is actually a real cat- at one of my jobs, he was the cat that lived across the road, but he'd spend most afternoons when his owner was at work sitting on my chair, or on my lap, or curled up on the counter, or basically anywhere I'd allow him. He adored people, food, and affection, to the point where if I put him down on the chair behind me to serve someone, he would cry and prod me in the back repeatedly until I turned round to him XD  
_


	2. Step Two

_Author's Note:_ _I'm also giving an additional warning for __**smoking **__from here on__ so if you're offended by that, don't read on._

**Taming Sasuke**

Step Two

Naruto walked down the brightly lit street, clutching the piece of paper Sasuke had given him tightly in his hand. He didn't know this area of town- it was in one of the 'richer' suburbs. He wondered if he'd really read the address right, since Sasuke was clearly around his age, and Naruto didn't see any way someone that young could live in this area alone.

He stopped, half tempted to turn around and go out of the area, looking down at the address in his hands. He was on the right street, at least.

He glanced around, noticing he could hear barking coming from slightly further down the street. He half-jogged towards it, smiling when he stopped by a small front garden and saw Sasuke struggling with what was presumably his old mattress. He was attempting to push it out the front door and onto the front lawn, with Pakkun weaving himself in and out of his legs. Sasuke was yelling something rude at the poor pug, and Naruto snickered to himself.

"Hey," he called, causing Sasuke to look up at him. He jogged down the path, smiling. "Let me give you a hand with that."

Naruto grabbed one end of the mattress, helping Sasuke lift it out onto the grass. Pakkun barked and tried to clamber up his leg to lick him hello, but Naruto gently told him 'no'. Sasuke glared at them both when Pakkun obeyed and sat quietly in the porch.

"Thanks," Sasuke told Naruto once the job at hand was done. He looked Naruto- who was still in his uniform of black pants, white shirt and an orange tie- up and down, indicating for him to follow him inside. "You just left work?"

Naruto looked sheepish, stepping into the porch and removing his shoes. "Well, it was either come here or go home to an empty house."

Sasuke smiled slightly. "I know the feeling."

"I don't see how anyone could dislike this little guy," Naruto said of Pakkun, rubbing behind the dog's ears quickly before standing and walking through the front door. "You're crazy, Sasuke."

"I don't _dislike_ him," Sasuke reasoned, stepping inside after him and closing the front door. "I'm just… Not an animal person. I don't know what to do with them."

He indicated for Naruto to step through the small hallway into the living room, sitting down on the worn, creamy coloured sofa. Naruto followed, sitting next to him, feeling awkward in the near-stranger's house.

The room was quite small, he noted, and seemed pretty 'normal'. It didn't look like it should be inhabited by a late-teenage boy, though- ornaments adored the mantelpiece and artistic pictures hung on the walls, all in the taste of an older person. Everything was dust free and tidy, and he felt out of place. Houses were meant to look lived in, he always thought- at least, that was his excuse for the mess his apartment was currently in.

"Are there any good take out places around here?" He asked after a moment, eyes sweeping across the room one last time before landing on Sasuke. "I haven't eaten dinner yet."

"I'll cook," Sasuke offered, leaning forward to the small coffee table in front of him and picking up a packet of cigarettes.

Naruto watched him light one, frowning slightly and looking down at Pakkun, who was curled up near Naruto's feet panting happily.

"You shouldn't do that around him," he said, indicating Pakkun.

Sasuke glanced at him, and then at the pug. "I'm sure he doesn't mind. Right, Pakkun?"

He held the packet out to Pakkun, who walked over and sniffed it wearily. He gently took it up within his teeth, wagging his tail.

"See?" Sasuke reasoned, shrugging.

Pakkun proceeded to yelp happily, dropping the box and tearing it to shreds.

Sasuke stared at him while Naruto stifled his laughter.

"If you want me to cook for you, I'd stop that," Sasuke told Naruto sharply, frowning at the shredded remains of his cigarettes on the carpet.

"I don't want to put you out," Naruto replied, shaking his head. "I can get take out."

Sasuke shrugged at him. "I haven't eaten either, yet, it's no big deal. Are you picky about food, or shall I just cook anything?"

Naruto's face lit up. "Ramen. I love ramen."

Sasuke nodded, putting the half-finished cigarette out and leaving it in the ashtray, glaring down at Pakkun.

"I'll clean this up," Naruto offered, pointing to the ash and filter remnants on the floor.

Sasuke shook his head. "It's alright. There's a dog ball around here _somewhere_ if you can find it and want to play with Pakkun and keep him occupied."

Naruto nodded, tapping his knees to Pakkun, who barked and jumped up into his lap, trying to lick his face. Sasuke grimaced at the scene, quickly clearing his floor of the larger scraps and muttering about getting the vacuum out after dinner as he headed out the room- presumably to the kitchen.

Naruto took the moment to glance around the small room he was sitting in again. It really_ was_ immaculate- and he noticed with a small grin there were ornaments of dogs on the mantelpiece with a large, framed photograph forming the centerpiece. It was in a simple wooden frame, and didn't look particularly conspicuous, but Naruto was feeling inquisitive.

He gently picked Pakkun up, putting him on the floor and walking over to it, lifting it gently. It was a family photo it seemed, with two boys and what he presumed was their parents. One of the boys was clearly Sasuke, though they both looked pretty similar, and Naruto couldn't tell which one he was.

He heard Sasuke sigh heavily behind him, presumably to catch his attention, and turned to face him, eyes slightly widened in shock. Looking at photographs wasn't wrong, generally, but he felt as though he'd been caught in the act of something intrusive.

"Which boy are you?" He asked before he could stop himself, placing the frame back on the mantelpiece quickly.

Sasuke was leaning in the door frame, holding a can of soda out to him. "The younger one," he answered, his voice sharp. Naruto refrained from asking any further questions, taking the soda and thanking his host.

He moved to seat himself on the sofa again, interrupted by Pakkun wagging his tail at his feet. He looked down at him- he was holding a small, blue ball in his mouth.

"Oh, he found it then," Sasuke said rhetorically. "Come out into the garden, don't throw it in here."

Naruto followed Sasuke through into the kitchen where the back door was, Pakkun at his heels. He could smell noodles cooking, and he grinned widely. It had been a while since he'd had _real_ ramen, rather than the cup noodles he usually settled down with at the end of the day.

Sasuke unlocked the back door, letting Naruto pass through it, Pakkun following obediently and still holding the ball in his mouth. He dropped it at Naruto's feet, wagging his tail.

Naruto picked it up, grinning. "Alright, boy. Go fetch!"

He launched the ball across the reasonably sized garden, Pakkun chasing after it and grabbing it where it landed, racing back to Naruto and dropping it by his feet again.

"Ah, you like that then," he said to Pakkun, who yapped back in response. "Well, here you go, go get it boy!"

He threw it down the garden again, smiling as Pakkun chased it. The only thing he disliked about his current apartment was their strict 'no pets' rule. It was in a good area, reasonable rent, and near the shop so he had snapped it up. It came fully furnished and decorated too, and his lazy side had decided that was a winning factor in his choice.

Sasuke re-appeared in the doorway to inform him dinner was ready about fifteen minutes later, surprising Naruto who had been so deep in thought- and playtime- that he hadn't noticed him.

"Alright," he told Sasuke, picking up the ball as Pakkun bought it back again. "Come on inside, Pakkun."

He walked inside, Pakkun trailing behind, putting the ball down by the back door as he closed it. Pakkun picked it back up, looking at Naruto expectantly, who shook his head.

"Not now," he told him. "Dinner time."

Pakkun yelped happily, bouncing up and down and jumping up Naruto's leg.

"I just filled his bowl," Sasuke said with a sigh, indicating to it near the kitchen doorway. Pakkun followed the trail of his hand and sped across the kitchen to it as Naruto washed his hands in the kitchen sink.

"It's on the table," Sasuke told him, heading out the kitchen and back into the living room where the dining table was.

Naruto joined him a moment later, eyes widening at the bowl set on the table for him. Sasuke was already sitting at the table, looking up at him expectantly.

"This looks like it was made for a restaurant," Naruto praised, sitting down opposite the dark haired boy. He picked up his chopsticks, picking up a small piece of pork with them and trying it. His eyes lit up. "And it _tastes_ like it, too! You're a good cook, Sasuke."

Sasuke gave him a small, slightly bitter smile. Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly- that smile clearly told him 'I cook well because I have to, not from choice'. He didn't question it.

"Aren't you going to eat?" He asked between mouthfuls when he realized Sasuke was still sitting with a full bowl in front of him, staring off into space a couple of minutes later.

"Oh," Sasuke said, eyes snapping round to Naruto as though he had been pulled from his thoughts. "Yeah."

They ate in relative silence, Pakkun coming in and curling up on Naruto's feet at some point when he had finished his own dinner. Sasuke stood and gathered the bowls together, but Naruto shook his head to stop him.

"I'll wash up," he told him. "You cooked, it's only fair."

Sasuke shrugged, not fighting with him about it, sitting on the sofa and re-lighting his half finished cigarette sitting in the ashtray.

Naruto washed up the bowls swiftly, heading back into the living room and sitting down next to Sasuke again. Sasuke didn't move from his position on the other side of the sofa, sitting with his knees up to his chest and laying his head back on the top of the sofa. The almost-finished cigarette was clasped in his fingers, and he was staring at the ceiling rather morosely.

"Am I intruding?" Naruto asked quietly, feeling awkward once again in the other boy's company.

Sasuke sat up slightly, looking over at Naruto. "Oh. No… I'm just not used to company, I suppose."

He finished the cigarette, putting it out and sighing slightly as though he wanted to say something else, but chose not to.

"You have dog figures on your mantelpiece," Naruto pointed out after a while, wanting to break the silence. "I thought you weren't an animal person?"

Sasuke laughed at that, shaking his head slightly. "They aren't mine."

Naruto looked confused. "You don't live here alone, then?"

"No, I live alone."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, confused. "Then why do you have someone else's figures out on display?"

Sasuke glared at him. "They were my mothers'."

Naruto didn't catch the implication of the word 'were' and not 'are'.

"Do you see your family?" He asked, glancing at the photograph on the mantelpiece.

Sasuke laughed sharply. "No."

Naruto winced at the bitterness in his voice. "You fell out?"

"They're dead."

Naruto mentally removed his foot from his mouth, eyes wide. "Ah. I'm sorry."

Sasuke shrugged in response, looking down at Pakkun, who was wagging his tail gently. He whined and jumped up, attempting to climb onto Sasuke's lap, nuzzling his arm with his nose.

"He can tell you're upset," Naruto told him quietly.

"No, he's done this every night," Sasuke replied, attempting to push him off.

"If you sit there like that every night, I can see why."

Sasuke looked over at him sharply, his cheeks slightly red at Naruto's perceptive assumption. Pakkun was still whining and trying to lick Sasuke's face, and Naruto pulled him off, patting him on the head and stroking behind his ears to distract him.

"I don't know you, and I don't really know much about you," Naruto said softly after a moment. "But you seem like a nice guy. You're slightly clueless about animals and a bit bitter about…" He stopped, glancing up at the photo. "The hand you've been dealt in life, I suppose. But still- you're nice. I like you."

Sasuke didn't respond, staring off into space again.

"And… Well, if you ever want to talk about anything, just stop by the shop or something and I'll listen- it can be pretty quiet, I have nothing better to do."

Naruto stood when he didn't get an answer, putting Pakkun back on the ground.

"Thank you for dinner," he said politely. "I should go before it gets too late."

"I need to vacuum the floor," Sasuke said with a heavy sigh, getting up as well. "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Huh?" Naruto asked, then realized what he meant. "Oh, to buy food? Yeah, I'm working tomorrow. Why don't you just buy more than one tin instead of coming down every day?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I have to take the dog for a walk, don't I? I don't want to be stuck at home all day, anyway."

Naruto took that as an acceptable answer, smiling and nodding at Sasuke. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Alright," Sasuke said, nodding back. "Thank you for coming by, Naruto."

Naruto smiled, holding a hand out to him to shake. "It was a pleasure."

Sasuke took the hand, smiling smally. "Yes. Yes it was."

-.-.-

The following morning, Naruto was expecting Sasuke's visit- he had a tin of rabbit in gravy dog food on the counter ready for him.

"Ah," Sasuke said, walking to the counter when Naruto waved it at him. "Thanks."

"Did you sleep alright last night, then?" Naruto queried, noticing he looked a lot more refreshed than he had previously.

"I let him out before bed, let him in with me, and he stayed asleep all night," Sasuke said, relief evident in his voice. "_Thankfully_."

Iruka appeared behind Naruto, coming out from the staff area carrying a mug of green tea. He gave Sasuke one look, eyes widening slightly in recognition.

"Ah, this is my boss," Naruto said, indicating Iruka before the man could speak. "Iruka, this is the guy looking after Pakkun right now."

"Hello," Iruka said politely, nodding at Sasuke. He had apparently chosen not to say whatever was on his mind before. "Naruto, any luck with that sign for another member of staff?"

"Not yet."

"About that…" Sasuke said quietly, causing both Iruka and Naruto to look at him. "Could you give me more details?"

Iruka smiled slightly. "Naruto told me you're not very good with animals."

Sasuke looked slightly shamed. "I'm not, but Naruto did say you worked with people more than animals in this job."

"Naruto mentioned it to you already?" Iruka asked, turning to the blond in question.

"A-ah, yes," Naruto stuttered slightly. "I did mention it."

"Well, it's pretty simple work," Iruka told him. "Are you currently working?"

"Not right now."

"Is there anybody I can get a work reference from?"

"I haven't worked before."

Iruka frowned. "Alright. How about a personal reference?"

"The best person to ask is in on vacation right now. He'll be home tomorrow- Hatake Kakashi."

"Ah, good," Iruka nodded, picking up a pen and paper. "What's his number?"

Sasuke reeled it from memory, turning slightly as he heard Pakkun barking outside.

"Alright. And what's your name?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Iruka stopped writing mid-word, looking up with wide eyes. Sasuke stared back at him, his expression unchanging.

"I thought I recognized you," he said quietly. "I'm sorry-"

"Its fine," Sasuke cut in quickly, his voice razor sharp. Naruto glanced between them both, confused.

Iruka screwed up the paper in front of him, throwing it into the trash nearby and holding a hand out to Sasuke.

"You can start whenever you're free. Naruto will show you the ropes, won't you Naruto?"

"Huh? I will?"

"You can bring Pakkun with you if necessary."

"I can start tomorrow," Sasuke said quietly, avoiding Naruto's gaze. "Kakashi can pick Pakkun up from here."

"Alright. Nice meeting you, Sasuke."

Iruka busied himself removing the sign from the shop window as Sasuke made to leave. Naruto leant over the counter, grabbing his arm to stop him.

"What the hell just happened?"

"What time tomorrow?" Sasuke asked, shaking his arm free and clearly ignoring the question.

"Uh… Nine am I guess?"

"See you then."

He was gone before Naruto could question him any further. Naruto sighed, sinking into the chair, absently picking up a pen and playing with it. Sasuke was one confusing guy.

_Author's Note: Alright, I admit it, Sasuke is a smoker primarily because I just HAD to write the scene with Pakkun destroying his cigarettes. I couldn't get it out of my head once it had formed XD_

_Slighter shorter chapter than usual- that's because I cut a couple of pages in total editing it. I like 'slice of life' a LOT and there was a lot of it, but I cut it down to bore people less. That said, surely I'm not the only person to enjoy that style:(_


	3. Step Three

**Taming Sasuke**

Step Three

Naruto arrived early to work the next morning- a fact that surprised Iruka greatly. Usually, Naruto arrived about five minutes to nine, giving Iruka his usual 'don't yell at me, I'm here!' look before scurrying off to feed the rodents.

Unfortunately for Naruto, who had arrived early to grill Iruka about Sasuke, his new co-worker was early as well, standing outside the store with Pakkun's leash in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

"Ah, hi," Naruto said, feeling slightly nervous. If Sasuke had wanted him to know the answers to his questions, he'd have answered them yesterday- so much for arriving early to find out.

He held the door open, gesturing to Sasuke. "Coming in?"

Sasuke shook his head. "In a minute."

Naruto didn't protest, quickly entering and heading out the back when he found the shop floor empty. He'd take advantage of the moment with Iruka to ask him about Sasuke.

"It's unlike you to be early," Iruka commented as he turned to greet him, turning back and filling the kettle he had been holding. "Want a green tea?"

Naruto stuck his tongue out with a grimace. "You know I hate that stuff, Iruka."

"I thought I'd offer!" Iruka protested, putting the kettle on and busying himself pulling a mug out of the cupboard. "So why are you here early? To ask about Sasuke?"

Naruto nodded sheepishly, turning behind him to double check the boy in question wasn't present. "Why did you decide to hire him without any references after you realized who he was?"

Iruka sighed softly, leaning against the wall he was standing by. "I recognized him from a story in the newspapers a couple of years ago. His elder brother killed their parents and then killed himself. This is a small town, so it was news for a while. I'm surprised you didn't hear."

"I don't pay attention to the news," Naruto answered, his eyes wide with shock. He couldn't quite take in what he had heard- Sasuke's parents, murdered by his brother? No wonder he seemed bitter.

"It's necessary sometimes, even if it's depressing," Iruka responded, sounding almost as though he were scolding Naruto for his lack of interest in the world around him. "There was a huge debate about what to do with young Sasuke. He was seventeen, with no other living relatives anyone knew of. He inherited his parent's house, but he didn't want to live there since… Well, that was where it happened."

Naruto thought back to the house he had been to the night before- the ornaments, the tidiness, the strangely adult wallpaper and furnishings…

"I went to his house last night," he said quietly. "I think he ended up deciding to live there, after all."

"Yes, he did," Iruka confirmed. "That was the last I heard about it in the newspapers before they turned to something else. I always did wonder how he turned out, poor boy. If he's looking for work, I'm certainly not going to turn him down."

The kettle boiled, alerting Iruka's attention to it. He picked it up, pouring the water into his mug. "Did he seem alright to you?"

"What do you mean?"

Iruka looked sheepish. "You know what I'm like for caring for kids that need it," he said quietly.

Naruto smiled slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Like me?"

"Yes, like you."

"He seemed… Bitter. I think that's the best word for it. Though, I know _why_ now…"

He tailed off, hearing the bell above the shop door ring, indicating Sasuke's entrance. Iruka noticed, too, not pushing the conversation- instead, turning his attention to his tea.

"Well, let's go let Barney in and get him fed before we open up," he said after a moment. "Go and feed the rodents, would you?"

Naruto nodded, heading out onto the shop floor. Sasuke was tying Pakkun to the desk, looking up at him with tired eyes. Naruto was taken aback for a moment- he looked like he hadn't slept well at _all_.

"Worried about today?" He asked of it, raising a curious eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, standing upright once Pakkun was safely tied up and giving Naruto an equally curious glance.

"You don't look like you've slept well."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, and he looked away. "It's nothing."

Naruto looked set to protest, but was interrupted by Iruka appearing behind him, putting his tea on a small shelf below the till. Barney appeared with him, licking his lips from his breakfast and jumping onto the single chair behind the counter.

Naruto sighed in defeat, setting off to feed the rodents as requested of him instead of continuing his questioning to Sasuke.

"Morning, Sasuke," Iruka said quietly, giving his new employee a polite nod.

"Good morning," Sasuke answered, waving slightly as Iruka approached. At his feet, Pakkun stood up and yapped happily at Iruka, who walked over and knelt down next to him.

"And good morning to _you_ as well, Pakkun," he said with a laugh, patting the dog's head and scratching behind his ears. "When will he be collected?"

"Around lunchtime."

"Alright," Iruka nodded, standing upright again. "I have a couple of ground rules, but I'm pretty laid back, mostly. Don't leave the shop floor unattended, lock up if you _have_ to do so and leave a sign on the door- but since you'll be working with Naruto for a bit, that's not relev-"

"Iruka!!"

Iruka stopped, looking up at Naruto's wail.

"One of the mice is dead," Naruto said sadly, pointing to the cage he had on the floor currently. One of the small, brown mice was curled up in the bedding, seemingly fast asleep- but a second glance showed it was no longer breathing. The other two mice in the cage were eating, seemingly unaware of their bedmate's plight.

"Alright, I'll deal with it," Iruka told him. "Go and open the door."

He turned as he heard Barney hiss, eyes narrowed in confusion. Sasuke glared at the cat, folding his arms- he'd been trying to walk past the chair the cat had been sitting on, but Barney was having none of it.

"He really doesn't like you, does he?" Iruka sighed, putting a hand on Barney to calm him. He scooped him off of the chair, putting him on the floor and indicating to Sasuke to come to his side. "I'll deal with this mouse, then I'll show you how to use the till. I can't stay very long this morning."

-.-.-

Twenty minutes later, with Iruka satisfied Sasuke had an idea of what he was doing, he took off and left them both to it. There was only one chair behind the counter, and out of politeness, Naruto offered to Sasuke- removing Barney from it first, though.

"Don't expect me give it up every day," he warned as Sasuke accepted.

Sasuke shrugged, looking down at the floor where Pakkun was curled up, fast asleep. Naruto bit his lip awkwardly- he wanted to bring up what Iruka had mentioned that morning, but he didn't want to risk angering his new workmate. He decided to try and approach it tactfully.

"Sasuke," he said quietly. "Iruka told me this morning about… Well, you know."

"I presumed he would."

"Is… Is it true?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Of _course_ it's true. Just because it's bad doesn't mean it isn't true- life isn't the movies."

Naruto swallowed nervously. Apparently, he'd lacked the tact he had tried so hard to muster.

"I'm sorry to hear-"

"_Don't_," Sasuke snapped sharply. "I don't want pity."

Naruto stared at him for a moment, before wisely choosing to keep quiet about the subject.

"I know what you need," Naruto told him after a moment. Sasuke glanced at him, an eyebrow raised. "You need is a girlfriend to keep you company."

Sasuke looked at him, laughing slightly and shaking his head. "No, that's not what I need, Naruto."

"Sure it is," Naruto urged, nodding enthusiastically as though he was already planning out how to get him one in his head.

"No," Sasuke said again. "I'm gay."

Naruto looked up at him, eyes wide. "Ah. That could pose a problem in the hunt for a girlfriend."

"Exactly," Sasuke replied, sighing and leaning on the counter. "And before you say it, I don't need a boyfriend either."

Naruto closed his mouth. "Oh."

He gave Sasuke a sideways glance, looking him up and down. He was idly fiddling with a pen in his hands, turning it over and over, apparently deep in thought about something.

"Why not?" He asked after a moment.

Sasuke looked up at him, the pen stopping mid-flick. "What?"

"Why don't you want a partner?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. "I don't want to have to explain myself to each potential person interested in me."

"Explain yourself?"

Sasuke shrugged, looking slightly awkward. "You know what happened, Naruto. I don't want anybody taking on that emotional baggage, and I certainly don't want a pity party each time I get bothered by it."

Naruto didn't reply, sighing and leaning on the counter. There was nothing he could say to that.

-.-.-

The morning was quiet- too quiet, Naruto had thought. It gave him the chance to quietly observe his new co-worker. He was still sitting in the chair, flicking a pen over in his hands, apparently lost in thought. Naruto was the other side of the counter across from him, leaning on it lazily.

The other boy had been on Naruto's mind practically constantly since he had met him, and it was beginning to irk him. Sure, he had custody of an adorable dog right now, but why did he keep thinking of _him_?

Well… he knew the answer to that, of course- he just wasn't going to admit it to his companion. He, too, shared the dark haired boy's sexuality, and was attracted to _something_ about Sasuke that he couldn't put his finger on. Perhaps it was the dark past, or the dazzling good looks, or perhaps-

"Oi."

Sasuke's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up at him, eyes wide, feeling his cheeks redden at being caught in the act of thinking about the very person in front of him.

Sasuke was holding a glass out water out to him, another in his other hand presumably for himself. Naruto hadn't even noticed him leave.

"I asked if you wanted one, but you didn't reply. I got you one anyway."

"Oh!" Naruto stuttered, taking the glass being offered to him. "Sorry. I was miles away. Thanks."

Sasuke had opted for standing against the wall, so he sidled round the counter and jumped into the chair whilst he had the chance. Sasuke didn't appear to mind.

Naruto tried unsuccessfully to keep his eyes off of Sasuke, feeling his cheeks redden again when he noticed just how _gorgeous_ he looked. He was leaning up against the wall looking slightly bored, long fingers clasped around the glass of water as he took a sip from it. Naruto imagined him tipping it down his shirt and having to take the shirt _off_ to dry it, exposing what he _knew_ was going to be a nicely defined chest…

He took a couple of deep breaths to calm his thoughts. They'd been getting rather carried away with themselves.

"What?" Sasuke asked, turning as he felt Naruto's eyes on him.

"Nothing," Naruto replied hurriedly.

Sasuke gave him a strange look, but stayed quiet.

-.-.-

An hour or so later, when Naruto was on all fours- as usual- playing with Pakkun this time, he glanced up and frowned as a strange man he'd never seen before entered the shop. He was tall with messy silver hair, and he was waving at Sasuke.

Sasuke was sitting in the chair, arms folded, appearing ambivalent to the man's arrival. "Kakashi," he called.

"Ah," Naruto realized, standing. "Pakkun's master?"

"That's right," Kakashi said, waving at Naruto. Naruto untied Pakkun- the moment the man had entered he had jumped to attention, straining and whining on the leash to get to the man across the shop from him.

Pakkun yelped happily and rushed to greet his master, jumping up and trying to lick him. Kakashi scooped him up in his arms, rubbing behind the pugs ears gently.

"I missed you, boy," he told the little dog gently.

"You're quite welcome to him," Sasuke said with a sigh. "I can finally de-fur my home tonight."

Kakashi looked closely at Sasuke, frowning slightly. "You don't look like you've slept very well. Is my little Pakkun solely responsible for that?"

It was a guarded question, and the answer it received was even more so.

"No. Don't worry about it."

Kakashi shrugged. "Alright. If you say so."

He tickled behind Pakkun's ears one more time before putting him on the floor. "So you're the manager of this place?"

Naruto shook his head. "Oh, no. I'm not, that's Iruka, but he's not here right now."

"Ah, that's a shame," Kakashi replied. "I was going to ask if I could take young Sasuke out for lunch."

Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, whose eyes widened slightly, but he didn't protest.

"That'll be alright," Naruto told Kakashi. "I'm in charge when he's not around, and I can manage."

"Good," Kakashi said with a nod. "Come on then, Sasuke. Can I leave Pakkun with you a little longer…" He stopped, reading Naruto's name-badge. "Naruto?"

"Ah- sure."

-.-.-

"Well, well," Kakashi said, picking up his coffee. "I'm surprised at you, Sasuke. I didn't expect you to go through with this job."

"Why wouldn't I?" Sasuke countered, glaring at Kakashi across the table, arms folded guardedly.

They were sitting outside a small café, Kakashi citing it did fantastic lunches, and that he needed proper food having spent two weeks in Spain eating 'strange European food'. Sasuke hadn't asked him to elaborate, but hadn't complained at the salad he'd been served. They were now sitting talking- or rather, Kakashi was talking, and Sasuke was listening and trying to avoid his questions.

"Because you've never actively tried to do anything like that before," Kakashi told him. "You don't need the money, I _know_ that."

Sasuke glared at him harder. "I don't want to keep using their inheritance to pay the bills," he said evenly.

"I think it might have more to do with that blond," Kakashi said with a wink. "Am I right?"

Sasuke picked up his own coffee, looking away. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Here we go again," Kakashi sighed. "Sasuke, you _do_ realise it's about time you started trying to function like a normal person? I know you're still hurting over what happened, but honestly- it's been a long time now. It would do you good to find someone, settle down, and move _out_ of that house."

"Settle down?" Sasuke echoed. "I'm nineteen, not thirty nine. Besides, you're not one to talk- I don't see you with a girlfriend."

"I'm still looking," Kakashi said with a definite nod. "I did find rather a nice girl in Spain. It's a shame about the language barrier, since she was fantastic in-"

"Enough!" Sasuke snapped, holding a hand up. "I _don't_ need to hear about your sexual conquests."

"I was going to say fantastic in the art of surfing," Kakashi said innocently. "What did you think I was going to say, hmm? I think you need to get your mind out of the gutter, Sasuke."

Sasuke glared at him. "I _know_ you, that _isn't_ what you were going to say at all."

They were interrupted by a waitress nearby dropping a tray, Kakashi glancing round to look at it and Sasuke jumping so harshly he fell off the chair trying to get up from it.

Kakashi re-directed his gaze, eyes narrowed slightly.

"Sasuke," he said, his voice serious as Sasuke picked himself off the floor and tried to pretend that hadn't just happened. He noticed people looking at him strangely and felt his cheeks burning, setting the chair upright and sitting down again. "What the hell was that?"

"It made me jump, that's all," Sasuke answered through gritted teeth.

"No," Kakashi said. "That was fight or flight, Sasuke. You were trying to leave. _Why_?"

Sasuke glared up at him, somehow hoping if he continued to glare Kakashi might vanish into the floor and he wouldn't have to answer his questions.

"Tell your doctor," Kakashi told him, realising he wasn't going to get an answer- he _knew_ the answer, and Sasuke was well aware that he did, too. "How many times have I told you this? It is _not normal_ to react that way to noise."

"I had nightmares last night," Sasuke snapped at him, training his eyes to the table. "I'm just jumpy today, that's all."

"It's not normal that you're still having nightmares, either. How about the sedatives? Are you still taking those?"

Sasuke shrugged awkwardly. "Sometimes."

Kakashi sighed heavily. "I can't believe the doctor's still prescribing those to you. He should be referring you to a psychiatrist by now."

"He does what I tell him to do," Sasuke said sharply. "I tell him I still have nightmares, he gives me sedatives, and I take them when necessary. What more do I need to say?"

"I'm sure there's plenty you should be telling him that you don't."

Sasuke sighed, crossing one leg over the other at the knee and folding his arms. "Normal people who just got back from vacation talk to their friends about what they did. Why can't you just do that?"

Kakashi reached into his pocket, offering a small item over the table to Sasuke. "I bought you a souvenir."

Sasuke accepted it, frowning. It was a silver lighter with a picture of a bull on one side, and the Spanish flag on the other.

"It's tacky enough, right?" Kakashi asked. "They always say you should bring home tacky souvenirs."

"I'd be surprised if it even _works_," Sasuke said dryly, trying to flick it into life. After a couple of tries, it fired up into a small flame. Kakashi nodded in satisfaction.

"I'd have got you something decent but I honestly didn't find a thing you'd like," he continued. "Since you don't like much as it is."

"Isn't this inadvertently encouraging me to smoke?" Sasuke asked, putting the lighter in his pocket.

"Sasuke, I gave up convincing you to quit a long time ago," Kakashi informed him, picking up his cooling coffee again. "You'll do as you please because you're nineteen and stubborn."

Sasuke smiled slightly at that. "At least we agree there."

-.-.-

Outside the pet store, Kakashi left Sasuke finishing a cigarette as he entered and took Pakkun off of Naruto's hands. Naruto seemed a little sad at the thought of the pug having to go, but gave him a pat on the head goodbye and let Kakashi take him outside.

"Sasuke will be back with you in a moment," the silver haired man informed Naruto, who nodded and sat down in the chair behind the counter.

Kakashi closed the door, glancing towards Sasuke.

"Sasuke, I'm worried about you," he said quietly.

Sasuke shook his head. "Don't, Kakashi. You know I hate that."

"I said I was worried, not that I was pitying you."

Sasuke put out his finished cigarette, aiming to walk past Kakashi into the shop without another word. Kakashi grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"I'm thrilled that you've got a job and you're trying to get yourself out of this rut," he said quietly, tightening his hold on Sasuke's forearm when he felt him try to tug it free. "Your parents would be proud of your courage."

He let Sasuke's arm go, tugging on Pakkun's leash and leading him up the road without another word. Sasuke turned, watching him go, feeling his throat constrict tightly. Kakashi didn't mean to, but he managed to say the right things to get under Sasuke's skin, either upsetting or angering him depending on his mood.

Today it seemed it was going to upset him, he realised, feeling tears prick the corners of his eyes. He pushed the shop door open, angrily trying to blink them back and hoping Naruto wouldn't notice.

Naruto was perceptive, it seemed, as he narrowed his eyes straight at him when he entered, concern in his eyes and _that_ unspoken question on his lips- the dreaded 'are you alright?' that always served to further upset the recipient of it. Sasuke was no exception.

Sasuke gave him a look that screamed 'don't you dare ask' and stalked straight past him, resisting the urge to maliciously shove Barney on the floor as he hissed at him from the counter.

He hung his coat up in the staff area, taking a deep breath and trying to calm down a bit before heading back to the shop floor. Naruto hadn't followed him, at least.

When he was satisfied he could hold a conversation without either biting Naruto's head off or breaking down in tears, he headed out to the shop floor. Naruto scooped Barney off the chair and offered it to him, so he sat, staring straight ahead and ignoring Naruto's gaze.

He waited for the question he knew would come, eventually narrowing his eyes slightly when it didn't. Naruto was still just… Watching him.

"What?" He snapped eventually at him.

"Nothing," Naruto replied, redirecting his gaze.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes further, thankful yet confused. Naruto wasn't going to push the issue? That was one thing he hadn't been expecting.

He noticed Naruto biting his lip slightly, and allowed himself a small grin, the melancholy he'd felt at Kakashi's words fading a little. His co-worker certainly looked cute when he was nervous.

-.-.-

_Author's Note: Now this has quite finished eating my soul, I'm going to go and do my coursework XD_

_I hope you're enjoying so far :)_


	4. Step Four

**Taming Sasuke**

Step Four

The week passed uneventfully. Iruka seemed pleased with Sasuke's performance on the rare occasions he flitted between the shop and an unknown destination he had eventually uncovered to be the village orphanage. Naruto had been surprisingly possessive as he learnt that, which Iruka was quick to point out was the reason he hadn't told the blond right away.

Iruka had also been fast to point out to Naruto that he was nineteen now, and his 'fatherly' duties ended the day Naruto had cited his independence and willingly moved out of his home. Naruto had sheepishly agreed- he couldn't argue with that, but he also couldn't _quite_ quash his jealously. Iruka had become his father figure over the years, and sharing him was a strange feeling.

Beyond thinking about Iruka's new job- which was technically unpaid volunteer work, but Naruto thought it may as well be a job for the lengths of time he was gone- Naruto had made a few observations to himself about Sasuke in the week that he had worked with him. Some were on a professional level, and some were on a more… Personal level.

Firstly- he was never late. _Ever_. He was always there before Naruto, standing outside leaning against the wall and giving Naruto a look that suggested he should have been here earlier- even if Naruto turned up half an hour early. He arrived before even Iruka, who unlocked the shop in the mornings and came anywhere up to an hour early. Naruto wondered why the hell he wanted to spend valuable time he could be asleep standing patiently outside his work place, but didn't dare ask.

Most of the time, he would be smoking- of course, Naruto had thought. He'd come to realize that the _only_ time Sasuke ever disappeared from the store floor without asking first was when Naruto would tease him and deny him cigarette breaks, or when Naruto was daydreaming and he got fed up with asking permission. It was a quirk Naruto quite liked- a small imperfection that he seemed to lack elsewhere, if you will. He continued to deny him sometimes because he liked to see it.

Secondly, he was professional. His uniform usually consisted of black pants and shirt, and a differing plain tie each day. It always looked freshly cleaned and ironed, and his hair was always styled perfectly. He always followed instructions exactly as they were given, and was a fast learner.

Thirdly, he was capable of being sexy in every _single_ thing he did. Naruto found this small fact slightly distracting. He could be standing around doing nothing, and Naruto would find something to focus on- something he found attractive, from the way he was standing, to the way he would idly play with nearby items to relieve boredom- or nicotine cravings.

So, the following Wednesday morning, after a week and a half of being subjected to all of these things each day without fail, Naruto was surprised when he arrived for work twenty minutes early and found Sasuke wasn't waiting outside. Iruka had just arrived himself, opening the door for them both.

"No Sasuke yet?" Iruka asked. Naruto frowned.

"No."

Iruka frowned, too. "How strange."

They both set about doing their usual jobs- Iruka making himself tea, and Naruto feeding the rodents. They came together at around five minutes to nine, Naruto seating himself with the water Iruka had poured him, and Iruka leaning on the counter, checking his watch.

"Should I call him?" Naruto asked.

Iruka waved a hand at him. "He's not even late yet. Give it time."

"He's never late," Naruto protested.

"Never say never," Iruka said with a wink, taking a sip of his tea. "I'm sure he's fine- he probably overslept. It happens to us all- _especially_ you."

Naruto scowled at him for that.

Nine came, and Iruka unlocked the door, looking up and down the street for Sasuke. Nothing. He came back inside, finishing his tea and checking his watch again.

"I have to go, Naruto. Give him until ten past, then call him. If he still doesn't show, call my mobile and I'll try and come back if you need me."

Naruto nodded. "Alright."

Iruka made his way out of the store, leaving Naruto alone, sipping his drink while deep in thought. Part of him wanted to gloat to Sasuke when he arrived about his lateness, but another part of him was worried. This was out of character for his friend, and it concerned him.

Seven minutes past nine, the door flung open, admitting a disheveled looking Sasuke. Naruto opened his mouth to comment on the still-lit cigarette he held in his hand as he walked through the store towards him, but closed it instantly when Sasuke was close enough to him that he could see him better.

He was… Crying?

Naruto shook his head slightly. No, not crying, but he _definitely_ had been at some point in the very near past. His eyes were red and swollen, still slightly watery with the remnants of unshed tears. His hair was a mess, like he hadn't even brushed it, let alone bothered to style it.

Sasuke stalked past him without a word to the back staff area, snapping something rude at Barney, who had chosen that moment to attempt to come through the door as well.

Surprisingly, Barney didn't hiss- instead, he mewed slightly and rubbed up against Sasuke's leg. Sasuke looked down at him, blinking and sending tears falling down onto the cat. Barney jumped slightly, but mewed again and rubbed himself against the upset boy again.

Naruto thought for a moment before scrawling a 'back in five minutes' sign, taping it to the front door and locking it. He stepped out the back, where Sasuke was leaning against the wall finishing his cigarette, the hand that was holding it shaking visibly. He looked _tired_, like he hadn't slept in a week.

Barney was still rubbing up against him. Naruto looked down at him, smiling slightly. He was glad the cat had clearly sensed there was a problem, and had chosen not to give his coworker a hard time that morning.

Sasuke looked over at Naruto, eyes narrowed slightly. He opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, staying that way for a moment before deciding against it and sidestepping into the bathroom instead. Apparently, hiding was better than giving an explanation.

Naruto sighed, walking over to Barney and scooping him up from outside the door Sasuke had just gone into, where he was mewing sadly at it. He leant on the wall next to the door and tapped on it a couple of times.

"I closed up for five minutes," he said. "Get yourself composed and come out to the shop when you are."

He didn't wait for an answer, heading out to the store floor with Barney in his arms. He decided against sitting in the chair- Sasuke could have it this morning- propping the cat on the counter and stroking him absently.

He kicked the very small part of his brain that informed him that Sasuke could even have what seemed like a small mental breakdown sexily. Now was not the time for wandering thoughts.

A few minutes later, Sasuke joined him, throwing himself down in the empty chair with a heavy sigh. His eyes were glassy, but he was definitely more composed. He'd straightened his hair out somewhat, too.

"I overslept," Sasuke said quietly. "I'm sorry I was late."

Naruto shrugged. 'Overslept' didn't even touch the surface of whatever was going on here, but he didn't push it. "It's alright. Clearly you're not having a good day, and I don't want to make it any worse for you."

Sasuke looked up at him, clearly thankful that Naruto was choosing to ignore the rest of the details. "Thanks."

Naruto bit his lip- he _wanted_ to ask what the hell had just happened. Sasuke had just managed to break almost all the observations Naruto had made about him, and was offering no explanation for doing so.

Sensing he wasn't going to get his answers, he figured now was a good time to re-open the shop, and walked over to the door to so do, deep in thought.

Sasuke grabbed a pen from the counter in front of him, spinning it in his hands. Naruto smiled slightly, noticing as he came back to the counter, glad that at least some things were normal in this morning of confusion.

-.-.-

Another week or so passed by. Iruka was at the shop less and less, and was occasionally late in coming to lock up. He had found himself volunteering more of his time to the orphanage, telling Naruto- who, of course, protested- that he and Sasuke were more than capable of running the place whilst he was gone.

At the end of one particular Friday, instead of letting the two boys out of the shop as he usually did, Iruka stood in the doorway and held a hand up to show he wanted their attention first.

"As you both know, I've been quite busy lately, and haven't been around very much," he began, giving Naruto a sheepish smile as he glared at him. "So, Naruto- congratulations. Since I can't be around as much anymore, and Sasuke seems to have fitted in nicely, you just earned a promotion."

"Promotion?" Naruto said excitedly, immediately no longer sulking about Iruka.

Iruka nodded enthusiastically. "You just became Assistant Manager." He handed Naruto a set of keys, grinning at the huge smile on face. "You can open up and lock up, now, and you can till up the money at the end of the day. It means I don't need to come by at all if I get caught up."

Naruto punched the air, cheering. Iruka smiled softly at him.

"Now, let's check those keys work- I got them cut this afternoon."

"Sasuke," Naruto said, turning to him. "How about we go for a drink to celebrate?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Sure," he said, surprising Naruto. He'd been expecting him to instantly decline. He didn't seem the type to frequent bars.

Naruto grinned wider, ushering the other two out of the shop. He locked the door successfully, pocketing the keys with a satisfied nod.

"Open up tomorrow," Iruka told him. "And have fun tonight boys- don't get too drunk, I'm trusting you both to turn up on time and functional tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto said, waving a hand at him dismissively. "Have a nice weekend, Iruka."

Once Iruka was gone, leaving the two standing in the street, Naruto shrugged at Sasuke. "Shall we go as we are? We're pretty dressed up."

He removed his name badge, Sasuke nodding in agreement and doing the same.

"Do you know any good bars?" Naruto asked as they walked towards the town.

Sasuke looked a little sheepish. "I can't say I do."

Naruto rolled his eyes, sighing. "Well, we should change that. I know a good place- follow me."

-.-.-

They found themselves in a small bar on the edge of town, sitting in a corner so they could speak above the music that emanated from the speakers above the bar. It was Friday night, and they'd been lucky to get a table, even at six pm in the evening. Naruto told Sasuke that he frequented this place, which became apparent when all three barmaids had instantly squealed his name in delight and clambered over each other to serve him.

"So," Naruto said, raising his glass. Sasuke followed suite. "Congratulations to me?"

"Congratulations," Sasuke agreed as they clinked glasses, both of them downing the shot they had had each instantly.

"This is going to be an expensive night, isn't it?" Naruto sighed, looking down into his empty glass.

Sasuke pulled out his wallet, handing him a note. "My treat. Get however many shots you can with it."

There was an evil twinkle in his eye, and Naruto accepted the note gleefully, fully intending to make use of it. Sasuke took the moment he was gone to light a cigarette, smiling at his retreating back. The blond had succeeded in getting under his skin- that was for sure.

Naruto came back with a couple of glasses of double-shots, putting the meager change down on the table. He frowned at the cigarette in Sasuke's hand.

"That's so unattractive," he sighed, snatching it from his hand and putting it out.

Sasuke gaped at him- though it had nothing to do with the destruction of his cigarette. He recovered quickly, covering it with a smirk.

"So I'm attractive without it?" He asked.

"Well, I imagine kissing you is like kissing an ashtray," Naruto said matter-of-factly, not meeting his eye.

"Wouldn't you like to find out?" Sasuke said smoothly, ignoring the rude comment.

Naruto gave him a sly look. "I don't think I've had enough drinks to allow you to flirt with me yet."

Sasuke picked up one of the glasses, looking suddenly distracted.

"There's nothing wrong with a light bit of flirting," Naruto urged, giving him a wink.

"Aren't you straight?" Sasuke snapped at him. Naruto looked taken aback for a moment, before sighing slightly and refusing to answer.

"You were encouraging it a minute ago," he pointed out instead. "What changed?"

Sasuke sighed, picking up one of the glasses on the table. "It's nothing."

Naruto opened his mouth to push it, but changed his mind, standing up instead.

"These glasses won't last us very long," he said, indicating the ones on the table. "I'm going to buy a bottle of something."

He walked to the bar, glancing at Sasuke over his shoulder. He was lighting another cigarette, apparently deep in thought. It seemed flirting wasn't such a smart idea after all, and he willed his mind to remember that when drinking that night.

-.-.-

Naruto had returned with a small bottle of vodka. Sasuke didn't think it was a very good idea to let Naruto keep hold of it, as the shots he poured were, at an understatement, generous and he seemed to pour a _lot_ of them. He'd gone through seven of these 'generous' shots before Sasuke even touched his first.

Naruto was currently sitting on Sasuke's side of the table, attempting to wrestle his cigarettes off of him. Sasuke was having none of it, holding them up out of the slightly intoxicated blond's reach- he'd already had to buy a new packet since his previous ones had ended up in the trash, thanks to Naruto. He sighed as Naruto clutched at the air, aimlessly trying to grab them.

"It's _bad_," Naruto was slurring, attempting to clamber over the dark haired man to get at them.

"Naruto, get off me."

Naruto gave the packet one last swipe before letting his arm drop down onto Sasuke's shoulder.

"I _said_ get off me."

Naruto frowned, climbing off of him. "I thought you were supposed to be gay."

Sasuke scowled at him. "That doesn't mean I want _you_ climbing all over me, moron."

Naruto gave him puppy-dog eyes. "I'm offended."

"And you're straight," Sasuke added, standing up and walking around to Naruto's old seat, sitting in it and folding his arms.

"Nope."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"I never said I was straight, did I?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't care if you're gay, straight, whatever- I _don't_ want you touching me like that."

Naruto poured the last of the vodka into his glass, holding it up and in Sasuke's direction. "You're attractive, you know. When you don't smoke."

"You told me that already."

"Don't you find me attractive, too?"

Sasuke glared at him. "Would you please reconnect whatever wires between your brain and your mouth you've managed to sever with alcohol?"

Naruto blinked at him. "Eh?"

"_Stop_ with the suggestive comments."

Naruto finished the glass, slamming it on the table and attempting to stand. He fell to one knee instead, laughing. Sasuke stood, grabbing Naruto's arm and yanking him upright.

"You'd better sober up outside," he threatened, dragging him to the exit. "I'm not going to baby sit you all night."

-.-.-

The next morning, Naruto had managed to crawl out of bed- he had no idea how he'd ended up there, or even _home_- and make it to work on time. He'd had the help of painkillers and a taxi instead of walking, and all he wanted to do was stay curled up in bed, but duty called.

Duty sucked when he'd been drinking, he decided.

He wondered how Sasuke was feeling- and hoped he could fill in the blanks in his memory. The last thing he remembered was buying a small- and expensive- bottle of vodka, and then nothing.

At least he hadn't been late for his first day as Assistant Manager and opening up the store, he reasoned with himself as he practically fell out of the taxi onto the sidewalk.

Sasuke was waiting outside as usual, smoking a cigarette and giving him a very dark glare.

"What happened last night?" Naruto asked, picking himself up and attempting to still his pounding headache with one hand to his forehead.

"You were a jerk," Sasuke replied sharply, folding his arms and looking away.

Naruto stared at him, eyes widening. "I did something stupid, didn't I?"

Sasuke laughed sharply. That indicated 'yes', it seemed.

Naruto opened the store up, stepping aside to let his irate co-worker enter first. Sasuke ignored him, lighting another cigarette.

"Aren't you going to tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke didn't respond again.

"Or you could just give me the cold shoulder, that's fine too," Naruto snapped sarcastically, stepping inside the shop and slamming the door. He set about feeding the rodents, trying to still his temper. He may have been in the wrong with whatever it was he had done, but there was no need for Sasuke to be so uptight about it!

…Was there?

He frowned, hoping he hadn't done anything _too_ serious.

Sasuke entered the store, stalking past him to the staff area out the back.

"Let Barney in and feed him," Naruto called to him, not expecting him to do it, but figuring it was worth a shot.

"Feed your own damn Hellcat."

Hellcat. That had been Barney's name from Sasuke ever since he'd accidentally trod on his tail and ended up with scratches all down his leg for the trouble. Not that Barney and Sasuke had been on good terms before then, really- it just fueled the very-lit fire.

"That's no way to talk to your superior," Naruto tried instead.

"Fuck you."

Naruto sighed heavily, making his way out the back where Sasuke was pouring himself a glass of water.

"Let's get something straight," Sasuke said before Naruto had the chance to say anything. "I meant it when I said I don't like people. I don't like physical contact, and I certainly _don't_ like repeated propositions."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"And I _don't_ appreciate dragging your drunken, moronic ass across town to your apartment, only to have you half-strip and try to _drag_ me into the bed. What the hell is _wrong_ with you?"

Naruto leant against the doorframe, holding his head in his hands. His headache had suddenly got a lot worse.

"Sasuke, I'm-"

Sasuke held a hand up to silence him. "If you're going to say sorry, you can go fuck yourself- which probably wouldn't be such a bad idea, since you _clearly_ need to get some."

"My, aren't we harsh this morning?" Naruto replied sharply. "Stop speaking to me like that."

"If you're going call the superiority card on me again, I could get you arrested for harassment."

"Look, I was drunk," Naruto said evenly. "I _am_ sorry. But you can't hold that against me, what more can I say other than that? I can't take it back, much as I'd like to."

He stepped past Sasuke, opening the back door and letting Barney in. Barney looked up at Sasuke, hissing- as usual.

"You can fuck off as well," Sasuke snapped down at him.

Naruto snapped.

"You're right about not getting on with people," he said sharply, grabbing Sasuke's arm. "You can't even get on with a _cat_. So let's fix that, shall we?"

He opened the store cupboard next to him, flinging Sasuke sharply into it, and nudging Barney gently inside with his foot. He slammed the door, turning the key in the lock and angrily yanking the key from the lock and putting it in his pocket.

Silence. Then hissing. Then scuffling, and a bang on the back of the door.

"Naruto, are you _crazy_?"

"Freaking out so much at the _possibility_ of another human being interested in you is _not_ normal!" Naruto yelled back, not caring how indignant and childish he sounded.

"So you're locking me in a cupboard with the Hellcat?"

"That _Hellcat_ can hopefully teach you something about getting on with people and not acting like a prick."

"_Me_ acting like a prick? Naruto, you're the one who tried to force yourself on me, don't try to turn this around!"

Naruto didn't have an answer for that. Somewhere deep inside his conscious, he _knew_ he was overreacting, but he couldn't find it in himself to unlock the door and let the other boy out.

Instead, he walked away, heading out into the main store and unlocking it. It was a couple of minutes past nine, he noticed. Not too bad for such a hectic start.

-.-.-

_Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews so far! I'm having far too much writing this, and it's nice to know you guys are enjoying it too XD_


	5. Step Five

**Taming Sasuke**

Step Five

Sasuke had been strangely quiet, Naruto noticed. It was half past ten, and he'd been locked away for an hour and a half now- Naruto couldn't hear him shouting out on the shop floor, and the counter was close to the staff area, so that meant he was being silent.

Feeling guiltier every passing minute, he finally cracked, locking up the shop and heading out the back.

"Are you friends yet?" He called.

"Like hell are we."

So, Sasuke was alive then. Naruto chastised himself- just because Sasuke had chosen _not_ to yell and throw a fit about his unceremonious position in the store cupboard didn't mean he had died. It just meant he was either awfully patient, or silently seething.

"You've been quiet," he said after a moment of his thought.

"I've been trying to keep this devil incarnate from killing me."

Naruto smirked. "Oh come on. He's the most affectionate cat I've ever met, he couldn't hurt a fly."

"Why am I still locked in here, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, getting straight to the point Naruto was avoiding.

Naruto shrugged, though obviously he couldn't be seen doing so. "Because you deserved it."

"I thought we agreed you were the asshole, not me."

"I made a drunken mistake," Naruto reasoned. "_You're_ an asshole most of the time."

Silence for a moment.

"Naruto- let me out."

"Why should I?"

A sigh. "Because I don't have my cigarettes, because this _hell-spawn_ keeps trying to bite me, because _you're_ the one in the wrong, because this is a dusty store cupboard and it hurts to breathe, because this is actually _illegal_, because-"

"Alright, I get the picture," Naruto snapped, interrupting him.

He didn't unlock the door.

"You're locked in there because I don't know how to handle my feelings," he admitted quietly after a moment.

Sasuke sighed heavily. "Naruto, you're a moron."

Naruto laughed sharply, feeling tears in his eyes. "You're right. I am."

"I'm glad we agree on something."

"Yeah. I guess."

"You can't just keep me locked away while you deal with it, Naruto."

"I know that."

He still didn't unlock the door.

They were interrupted by the phone ringing, Naruto sighing and heading out of the staff area.

"I need to get that, Sasuke," he called over his shoulder.

The voice on the line was a mix of angry, concerned and compassionate, and Naruto groaned inwardly.

"Naruto's, there's been a 'back in five minutes' sign on the door for the last ten minutes- what's going on?"

Naruto put the phone down without a word, sprinting to the front door and opening it for a rather confused looking Iruka.

"Is there something wrong?" Iruka asked, looking around. "Where's Sasuke?"

"Locked in the store cupboard."

Iruka stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"I locked him in the store cupboard."

Iruka continued to stare at him. "_Naruto! _You _can't_ go around locking staff in cupboards! There's Health and Safety to consider, not to mention human rights, and- What am I saying, go and _let him out_!"

"Everything's fine, Iruka," Naruto said calmly. "I'll deal with it. What did you come by for?"

"I'm not going to have a conversation with you whilst poor Sasuke is locked in a cupboard," Iruka told him evenly, pushing past him.

Naruto grabbed his arm. "_Please_. Let me handle this. Just pretend you didn't come here, and come back in an hour."

Iruka looked at him, eyes wide. "But, Sasuke-"

"Sasuke's fine."

Iruka looked like he was thinking about it, before sighing and heading back to the entrance. "Make sure this place is open again in ten minutes, tops," he said quietly. "I want an explanation later."

Naruto locked the door again, thankful Iruka respected his decisions- even the remarkably ridiculous ones.

He slowly made his way out the back again, leaning with his back to the store cupboard door. He let his head hit the wood softly, sighing.

"Naruto," Sasuke said quietly, and Naruto could tell he was standing by the door as well- probably leaning on it, too. "I haven't let myself get close to anybody since… Then. Kakashi's the only person and he was a friend of my parents so I've known him since I was a kid. He manages to upset me _every_ damn time we get together, too- I swear he tries his hardest to make me feel bad."

"And you don't want me getting close to you," Naruto said flatly. "Is that right?"

"You're the first person I've felt could handle me," Sasuke said with a small laugh. "You've seen me, Naruto. I have mood swings. I'm irritable and bitter. I rely on nicotine to get me through the day mostly stress-free. The idea of being in a relationship is scary."

"It's scary for people who aren't fucked in the head, too," Naruto said bluntly.

"That's what I like about you," Sasuke replied after a moment. "You're honest. You don't treat me like glass. You acknowledge I have problems and you let me get on with them."

"Why did you come in late the other morning?" Naruto asked. "You were crying. What happened?"

"Nightmares," Sasuke said simply. "It happens from time to time, and I take sedatives to get back to sleep. I don't wake easily when I've had those, so I woke up late and disorientated. That's all."

"So… You're saying you're angry that I tried to initiate something between us, even though you like me?" Naruto asked after a short silence between them that he felt he should fill.

"I suppose that's the easy version of it, yes."

Naruto let out a long, drawn out sigh. "You're a complicated person."

"That's precisely why I don't usually let people get close."

They fell silent for a moment before Sasuke sighed as well.

"And now I _need_ to smoke. I don't do this heart-to-heart talking stuff."

"Are you friends with Barney yet?" Naruto asked again, a small smile on his face.

"No, but I _will_ throttle you if you don't let me out."

"You'll manage that with a door between us?" Naruto responded cheekily.

"I'll throttle the Hellcat if you don't let me out, then."

Naruto hurriedly unlocked the door, not trusting that Sasuke _wouldn't_ do just that.

Barney ran out immediately as Naruto pulled the door open, looking up at him and mewing pitifully- reminding the blond he'd been rudely shut in the cupboard without his breakfast.

"Ah," he said, reaching down and stroking the cat softly. "I didn't feed you, did I?"

Sasuke stepped out of the cupboard, looking dusty and irate. He grabbed Naruto's collar, pulling him close and locking their lips together.

He roughly pulled away after a moment, shoving the surprised Naruto away again.

"Don't say a word. I don't like being a hypocrite."

Naruto nodded dumbly, licking his lips slowly. Sasuke tasted like a mix of cigarettes and strawberries, he noted. It wasn't such an unpleasant taste, really. He was sure he could keep his mouth shut for more of _those_.

Sasuke was already walking to his hung-up jacket, searching the pocket for cigarettes, Naruto presumed. Barney was weaving himself in and out of his legs, mewing frantically, attempting to get the captivated blond's attention.

"Alright, alright," Naruto said, looking down at him. "I'll feed you."

He went out into the store and selected a pouch, Barney following him the whole way, heading back out to the staff area and emptying it into the bowl quickly. Barney dove straight in, apparently satisfied with Naruto's choice.

"What did you have for breakfast?" Naruto asked after a moment.

Sasuke looked over at him from his spot leaning against the wall, looking confused. "Strawberries. Why?"

Naruto smiled wider. "I thought so."

Sasuke realized what he meant, smiling slightly. "So _do_ I taste like an ashtray?"

"A little," Naruto answered, licking his lips again. "Mostly strawberries since you haven't smoked in a while, though."

Sasuke looked at the cigarette in his hand, sighing heavily and putting it out. "I guess we can't have that, can we?"

They stood in silence for a moment before Naruto sighed and pushed himself off the wall. "We should get back to work."

"I suppose."

"Can you be a hypocrite again first?"

Sasuke turned, cupping his chin and locking their lips together again gently.

"Like that?" He breathed in Naruto's ear, resting his chin on his shoulder.

"Mm," Naruto agreed. "Just like that."

-.-.-

The following morning, Sasuke was waiting for Naruto as usual- no cigarette in his hand, but instead a small carrier bag. Naruto raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's that?" He pointed.

Sasuke thrust it at him, folding his arms as Naruto accepted. "Just open it."

Naruto peered inside the bag, squealing in delight and pulling out a small, black and white fluffy cat plush. He looked up at Sasuke, eyes wide and delighted.

"It looks just like Barney!" He exclaimed. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Shut up and put it back in the _bag_ in public," Sasuke snapped, cheeks flushed bright red.

Naruto grinned, doing so and opening the shop door and letting them inside.

"I didn't place you as the sentimental type," Naruto snickered, setting about feeding the rodents as he usually did, placing the bag on the counter first.

"It was in the pharmacist when I went to get some nicotine patches on the way home last night," Sasuke explained with a nervous shrug. "It… Had your name written all over it, I suppose."

Naruto smiled at that. "You can be pretty damn cute, you know that?"

Sasuke blushed. "Shut up, moron."

"So, nicotine patches, eh?" Naruto changed the subject, noticing just how uncomfortable Sasuke was becoming on their current topic. "You're serious about quitting?"

Sasuke sighed, pulling up the top of his short shirt sleeve, exposing a patch. "It itches and it doesn't work."

Naruto walked over to Sasuke and poked the patch lightly. Sasuke scowled and batted his hand away. "I'm sure it _does_ work- you're just not using a strong enough one, perhaps? Or it hasn't started working yet?"

"It's the strongest one they do, and it's been on since last night- it had _better_ be at least _attempting_ to work else I'm going to rip someone's throat out."

"I'd prefer it wasn't mine," Naruto informed him.

Sasuke gave him a glare, but said nothing.

-.-.-

Naruto noticed something new about Sasuke since they'd unofficially ended up an item. He gave gifts. _Every_ morning. Naruto had given up remarking on it after the third morning- he simply accepted whatever it was with a nod of thanks, Sasuke would nod back, and no more would be said.

It wasn't always anything large or even particularly sentimental- sometimes it was just a coffee from the local coffee shop, but Naruto appreciated it regardless. He had come to expect it, finding himself excited at the thought of what Sasuke would give him when he arrived in the morning. Sasuke was always early and waiting for him, as usual. There was no cigarette in hand now- though Naruto had caught him being sneaky about that a couple of times- but instead, his little gift.

So, it came to a surprise to Naruto when Sasuke wasn't waiting for him one morning a week after they'd first got together. He frowned, unlocking the shop, as he remembered the last time Sasuke had been late.

They'd landed themselves into a routine between them when they arrived- Naruto would feed the rodents, since Sasuke protested they _tried_ to gang up on him and nip at him if he fed them, and Sasuke would feed Barney. 'The lesser of two evils,' Sasuke had said as Barney had stood a foot away from his food bowl hissing in Sasuke's general direction, apparently upset he had the _audacity_ to go anywhere _near_ something so sacred.

Naruto set about with his half of the morning duty, keeping an eye on the door for Sasuke to arrive. When he didn't, he let Barney in and fed him as well. Nothing.

As the clock ticked to nine am, he unlocked the shop and waited a couple of minutes before picking up the phone. He didn't trust this.

As he was attempting to remember Sasuke's mobile phone number, the door flung open and admitted the boy in question. Naruto replaced the receiver, opening his mouth to ask why he was late before spying a box under one of his arms.

"What's that?" He asked instead, eyes lighting up.

Sasuke walked past him, reaching into his pocket with his free hand and handing Naruto a lollipop. "Nothing you want to see," he responded.

Naruto pocketed the lollipop as Sasuke headed out the back to the staff area, watching him with narrowed, confused eyes. He followed him out there, eyeing the box as Sasuke washed his hands.

"What is it?" He repeated.

"I told you, nothing you want to see."

Naruto grinned. "You _know_ that'll just make me want to see in it more."

"You _don't_ want to look in there, Naruto."

Naruto poked his tongue out at him, missing the warning tone in Sasuke's voice as he walked over to the box on the side and took the lid off. He looked inside, suddenly realising why Sasuke was _still_ washing his hands, and that he did actually _mean_ 'you don't want to see'.

A dead cat lay inside in the box, curled up with dry blood matted in its grey striped fur. Its eyes were slightly open, gray and glassy, and its neck was at a rather unnatural angle. He hurriedly covered the box, eyes wide with shock.

"It… That's a dead cat," he uttered.

"I did warn you," Sasuke told him dryly.

"Why did you bring it _here_?"

"Because I was already late."

"No," Naruto shook his head. "Why… You didn't just leave it there?"

Sasuke frowned, drying his hands. "Just lying on the side of the road like that? You'd have killed me."

Naruto gave him a small, thankful smile. "What did you plan on doing with it?"

Sasuke glanced over towards the box. "Giving it a proper burial?"

They both stood looking at the box for a moment for Naruto headed back out onto the shop floor, sinking into the chair as Sasuke followed him.

"I'm surprised," he said quietly. Sasuke glanced over at him from his spot leaning against the wall just over from Naruto.

"That I bothered to stop and pick it up?" He filled in. Naruto nodded. "Why not? It didn't seem right leaving it there."

"Perhaps Barney's rubbing off on you?" Naruto suggested with a small, wicked grin.

Sasuke glared at him. "The Hellcat? You've got to be kidding me."

They sat in silence for a while, Naruto pulling the lollipop from his pocket and unwrapping it slowly. He glanced over to Sasuke, gave him a nod, and received one back.

"Where did you want to bury it?" He asked after a moment.

Sasuke shrugged. "I hadn't thought about it."

"How about the park just outside of town? Iruka lives near there- we could stop by and borrow something to dig with. I have a key to his house if he's not home."

Sasuke nodded. "Alright."

-.-.-

The park was particularly beautiful in the autumn months. Trees that lined the path were beginning to shed their leaves, littering the ground below golden yellow and rusty brown. Someone had swept the stray leaves that landed on the paving into tidy piles to either side of the pavement, keeping it clear.

Sasuke had opted to carry the box, and Naruto had opted to carry the small bag of tools he'd raided Iruka's garden shed for. Neither of them had wanted to carry something as dangerous and conspicuous as a spade, so they'd opted for a couple of smaller trowels. It would take a while to dig the hole, but neither of them had objected.

"There?" Naruto asked, pointing to a large sakura tree to one side of the pathway.

Sasuke shrugged and headed across to it, his feet crunching noisily through the leaves in his way. Naruto followed, sinking to his knees beneath the tree and opening the bag. He pulled two trowels out as Sasuke knelt down beside him, setting the box down.

"I wish we could have given him or her back to their rightful owner," Naruto said quietly, beginning to dig into the ground.

"We might be able to," Sasuke replied, grabbing his trowel and starting as well. "There's a collar around its neck."

Naruto stopped, looking up at him. He hadn't noticed that before. "There is? Why didn't you tell me that before? What did it have written on it?"

"I don't know, my concern wasn't reading its collar, it was getting it off the road," Sasuke replied. Naruto winced slightly.

"Well… Could you read it? I don't…"

He didn't need to finish his sentence. He didn't want to see it again- that much was clear. Sasuke grimaced.

"What makes you think _I_ want to look in there?" He responded.

"You don't even _like_ cats," Naruto reasoned.

Sasuke stopped digging, looking over at the box and sighing. He lifted the lid, setting it to one side and reaching inside to read the tag on the collar.

"It's a she," he said after a moment. "'Laureth'. There's no address or phone number."

"Well, maybe we could put a sign up in the shop window," Naruto suggested.

"Saying what?" Sasuke replied evenly, putting the lid back on the box quickly. "Found: Dead grey tabby called named Laureth? We buried her in the park if you want to retrieve her?"

"Well, I don't know!" Naruto snapped back, furiously digging at the ground and blinking back the sudden, angry tears in his eyes. "It just seems _right_ to let them know! It's painful when you love a pet and one day it vanishes…"

He stopped talking, laying the trowel down on the ground. Sasuke did the same, realising where the conversation was headed.

"When I was a kid, I lived with Iruka," Naruto said quietly, looking at the disturbed earth pile in front of him. "We had a pure black cat named Mittens."

"Mittens?" Sasuke interjected, smiling slightly.

"Iruka let me name him, alright?!" Naruto snapped. "I was a kid, and it seemed like a good name! Anyway… One night, Mittens went out like he usually did, and he didn't come home. For about three days we worried about him, until one of our neighbours came by. He told us he'd found a cat by the side of the road that looked suspiciously like Mittens, so Iruka went with him to see. It was him…"

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said quietly, even though 'sorry' wasn't going to change history.

Naruto shrugged. "I was upset, of course, but I was thankful that our neighbour thought to _tell_ us, so we _knew _what had happened. I'd have hated to think he'd run off or something."

He looked up at Sasuke, nostalgia evident on his face. "I _loved_ that damn cat. And someone, somewhere, loves Laureth here. I want to try and make sure they know… Well, you know."

Sasuke nodded. "I understand. You want them to have closure."

"Yeah," Naruto nodded in agreement, noticing the flicker of pain in Sasuke's eyes as he said that, but choosing not to remark on it. "Closure."

-.-.-

The job at hand finished, the two of them gathered their things and made their way back to the path. Naruto walked slowly, staring at the floor and walking deliberately through the leaves piled at the side of the road.

Sasuke walked in the middle of the path, smiling slightly at Naruto's behaviour.

"Someone spent a long time tidying those up this morning, I'm sure," he commented.

Naruto kicked leaves in Sasuke's path, poking his tongue out at him, but saying nothing. He settled back into his melancholy, and Sasuke sighed.

"How about you come back with me tonight?" He suggested quietly. "We can rent a movie on the way back."

"A movie? Can I choose it?"

Sasuke shrugged despite the feeling he was going to regret agreeing. "Sure."

Naruto smiled slightly. "Alright. You convinced me."

He kicked some more leaves in Sasuke's path, earning him a glare.

"Lighten up, it's just leaves!" Naruto told him, stopping and holding a hand out to him.

"Says the person who just spent ages moping about the past," Sasuke replied, looking at the hand and choosing not to take it.

Naruto rolled his eyes, his mood apparently lifted, stepping forward and forcefully grabbing Sasuke's hand.

"Come crunch leaves with me!" He told him, dragging him to the side of the path and keeping a tight grasp on his hand. Sasuke struggled to get away, but Naruto stayed firm, kicking the leaves up while humming and dragging Sasuke along behind him.

"_Why_ did I agree to date you?" Sasuke asked rhetorically, kicking a few leaves up awkwardly with a small sigh. "There- are you happy now?"

Naruto had stopped walking, letting Sasuke's hand go and turning to see him.

"You just admitted you're dating me," he said, shock evident in his voice.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but his cheeks were slightly flushed. "So?"

"So… You've never done that before," Naruto replied.

"It's no big deal," Sasuke responded with another nervous shrug.

"No," Naruto said quietly, stepping closer to Sasuke. "It _is_. It means a lot to me to you hear you _say_ it."

Sasuke looked like he wanted to take a step backwards, but stopped, not wanting to offend Naruto. "Next you'll be asking me to say I love you."

Naruto smiled wider. "You can if you like."

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm not quite ready for that," he responded. He started walking again, kicking a few leaves as he did so to Naruto's delight. "So what movie shall we get?"

Naruto's face lit up, not disputing the sudden change in topic. "How about a rom-com?"

Sasuke gave him a blank look. "A what?"

"A rom-com," Naruto repeated. "You know- a romantic comedy?"

"No, I _don't_ know," Sasuke said evenly. "That's why I asked. That sounds-"

Naruto silenced him by turning and giving him a kiss. Sasuke pulled away, glancing around the empty park. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"We're the only ones here," he told him. "And if you were going to insult rom-coms, I'm going to ditch you."

Sasuke gave him a small, nervous smile. "They sound wonderful?"

Naruto beamed. "_Much_ better."

-.-.-

_Author's Note: Thank you all for the reviews! This is very enjoyable to write, and it's a bonus that there are people to enjoy it :)_


	6. Step Six

**Taming Sasuke**

Step Six

After an hour spent in the rental store, in which Sasuke spent most of it protesting 'they all sound like the same damn thing, just chose one and let's go', Naruto had finally decided on what he deemed would be a good rom-com for the night. Once he had learnt Sasuke was offering to pay, he'd loaded up on popcorn and soda, too.

They were currently sitting on Sasuke's sofa- Naruto curled up against Sasuke's side as they watched the movie, and Sasuke with an arm snaked around his partner's waist.

Naruto was enthralled in the movie. Sasuke wasn't, but that was alright with him- he was rather enthralled with Naruto instead, resting his head on top of Naruto's gently. The blond snuggled up slightly closer into him as he did so, and Sasuke smiled slightly.

"Your hair smells like honey," he murmured.

"Hmm?" Naruto said, not hearing the comment, as he'd been listening to the movie.

"Nothing."

Naruto didn't protest, which suited Sasuke fine. He was a hopeless romantic at heart, even if he didn't openly admit it with words. Usually, anyway.

"You can stay here tonight," he said, louder so Naruto would hear him.

"I can?" Naruto asked, surprise evident in his voice. "Thanks, Sasuke."

"It's nice having company," Sasuke answered quietly.

Naruto moved then, grabbing the remote and pausing the movie, setting the remote back on the arm of the sofa.

"You're sentimental all of a sudden," he commented, narrowing his eyes slightly. "What are you buttering me up for?"

"I'm not," Sasuke told him. "I'm just saying. I'm not used to spending my evenings with others."

Naruto smiled softly at him, leaning up and giving him a quick kiss. "That's sweet. You should get a pet for when I'm not here- a cat or something."

Sasuke glared at him. "You know my opinion on animals, idiot."

"Says the guy who made himself late for work to pick up a poor dead cat to make sure it got a decent burial," Naruto protested.

Sasuke picked up the remote, ignoring the accusation. "Keep watching the movie and shut up."

Naruto snatched the remote out of his hand, launching it across the room with a satisfied smile. "I found something more interesting than the movie."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but they held a playful twinkle within them as he did. "Is that so?"

He pulled Naruto close, circling a hand around the back of his head and guiding their lips together in a soft kiss. He clenched at the golden locks, gently prying Naruto's lips open with his tongue. Naruto let him, welcoming the intrusion readily.

As Sasuke's other hand found its way to the front of Naruto's shirt, unbuttoning it expertly with one hand, Naruto stopped. He clasped a hand around Sasuke's wrist to stop him, looking confused.

"What are you doing?"

Sasuke gave him an equally confused look. "I'm taking your shirt off."

"I _know_ that, but…"

Sasuke put a finger to his lips, shaking his head. "I'm not going to do anything too heavy without your permission."

Naruto licked his lips, giving him a grin. "That's alright then. I don't want you molesting me so early in our relationship."

Sasuke met his grin with one of his own, looking slightly wicked. "I didn't say anything about _not_ molesting you, did I?"

"You didn't," Naruto agreed. "I'd have to think about whether I'd let you, though."

"_Let_ me?" Sasuke echoed. "Oh, no, _no_, Naruto. I don't think you quite understand how this is going to work."

With that, his hand found its way further down Naruto's body, and Naruto gasped. His hands were cold, yet oh so very welcomed.

"Why don't you show me how it's going to work, then?" He replied, his voice low and rough with desire.

"I had every intention of doing so," Sasuke confirmed, closing their lips together again in another passionate kiss.

-.-.-

Naruto awoke an unmeasured length of time later, rubbing the back of his neck as he realised with a start that it was aching. He figured that had something to do with being half-hanging off of Sasuke's sofa as he slept, wincing as he massaged at it to ease the ache.

He shifted and half-crawled off the sofa onto the floor, yawning as he did so. Sasuke had been fast asleep with his head in Naruto's lap, but Naruto's movement hadn't seemed to stir him at all. He simply curled up into the sofa slightly more, still silently sleeping.

Naruto turned his attention to the television behind him, remembering the movie, but it had long since turned itself off into power save mode. The DVD player indicated it was still paused, though. Naruto flicked it off- he didn't care much for it right now, and besides, putting it back on again would probably wake Sasuke. And he looked far too cute asleep for Naruto to have the heart to do that.

Naruto crept up the stairs to Sasuke's bedroom, grabbing his cover and pillow. Might as well make him comfortable, he figured, throwing the cover over his sleeping form and lifting Sasuke's head again, sliding the pillow under it.

He stood back, frowning slightly when he realised he was now alone in his boyfriend's house. He shivered slightly, remembering what had happened there, wondering to himself how the hell Sasuke stayed sane living there.

He glanced down at the sleeping figure with a wry smile- there were times when he seemed on the edge of sanity, that said.

He was beginning to feel tired himself, and wondered if there was any way he could get Sasuke up the stairs and into bed without waking him. He decided he probably couldn't, purely because he was unintentionally clumsy and would probably wake him by dropping him or knocking him into the wall while carrying him.

Instead, he figured he could grab a blanket from… Somewhere, and take Sasuke's bed. If Sasuke woke and decided to come up, then so be it, he could explain why he'd left him there.

Naruto slowly made his way up the stairs, careful to avoid the squeaky floorboard halfway up that he'd come to learn of in the few times he'd been in Sasuke's house. He glanced at the closed doorways in the long hallway, frowning. There was Sasuke's bedroom on the right, he knew that, with the door still wide open from when Naruto had gone in and retrieved the blanket and pillow.

Over on the left partway up was the bathroom- the door slightly ajar. But there were three other doors in the hallway, and he frowned, intrigued. He was hoping for an airing cupboard, as they usually housed blankets. He made his way up the hallway, noting there was one door right by the bathroom, and two further up the hallway.

He stopped by the door next to the bathroom, thinking it to be the most liking choice for an airing cupboard. Pulling it open, he grinned slightly and realised he'd been right in his assumption. Tugging a white blanket out, he decided to forgo the pillow after not seeing one in there, and closed the door.

Throwing the blanket onto Sasuke's bed, he couldn't get the thought of those other mystery rooms out of his head. Common sense told him he _knew_ what they were- Sasuke's parents, and his brother's. This had been their house, after all.

He crept back to the doorway, poking his head around the doorframe. The doors taunted him, closed yet beckoning to him. Sasuke was fast asleep right now- he'd never know if he just peeked inside, would he? Sasuke himself seemed to avoid the rooms- he could guess why.

His mind made up, Naruto slowly tip-toed down the hallway, stopping at the closest door. He slowly pushed down on the golden handle, entering the doorway, his heart beating non-stop for reasons he couldn't quite fathom.

The room before him was plain and quite empty- a single bed lay in the corner, made with pale blue bed-linen. The art of deduction lead him to believe this had been Sasuke's brother's room, but it looked so _plain_. The picture he'd looked at the mantelpiece led him to believe Sasuke's brother was a few years older than Sasuke, making him in his early to mid 20s. This room didn't look like it was occupied by someone of that age range, unless Sasuke had done something to it. He seriously doubted that, though.

He closed the door, feeling awkward and out of place. The man was a murderer, and looking in his bedroom just felt _wrong_. The _other_ door, however…

Something in him told him opening that door was just as wrong, if only on moral grounds, but he did it anyway. He was far too inquisitive a person to let it lie now.

The room was Sasuke's parents, as he assumed- it just screamed 'I belong to a couple'. There was no bed, though. He frowned in confusion, seeing the gap where a bed _should_ be and eyes widening in recognition. They were murdered in this house… In this room? In the missing bed?

He tried to squash that thought- it was making him feel both sick and morbidly curious, especially since it was probably true.

Another item on the far wall under the window caught his eye, and he crept across the room towards it. It was a closed wooden box, sitting on the floor under the window, about the size of a small chest of drawers. He lifted the lid on it up, eyes lighting up slightly when he realised it was a music box.

He'd always liked these things. When he was a bit younger, Iruka would take him lunch on a Sunday to a small restaurant that had a coin operated music box in the corner. It was a bit rough around the edges, but it was a genuine model that had survived through the centuries.

Naruto noticed the cylinder currently inside the box could be lifted out, but chose not to- he couldn't see anything to switch it with, and didn't want to go snooping around _too_ much. Instead, he gently turned the handle on the side just a little, to hear a snippet of the sound the box would play.

It began to play a hauntingly beautiful melody that Naruto didn't recognize, and he stepped back slightly in shock at just how _loud_ it was. He really, really hoped it wouldn't wake Sasuke up.

Apparently, fate wasn't on his side that day. Less than thirty seconds later, when he was frantically trying to make the box stop, he heard the door opening behind him again- or rather, being flung open angrily. He turned, looking sheepish, the box still sounding noisily but beautifully behind him.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Sasuke hissed, leaning against the doorframe, still looking half asleep but also incredibly angry.

"I was curious," Naruto answered quickly. "I like these things. I'm sorry."

"Get _out_."

Naruto didn't need telling twice, scuttling past Sasuke and out into the hallway. Sasuke followed, closing the door again and leaning against the wall by it, glaring across at Naruto darkly.

"Why are you still standing there?" Sasuke asked him. "I meant get out of my _house_."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but Sasuke looked like he wanted to rip his throat out, and was doing his best at refraining from doing so. He didn't want to anger him further, so retreated down the hallway and down the stairs. Sasuke followed two steps behind him, yanking open the front door and standing by it expectantly.

"You're actually going to throw me out?"

"Naruto," Sasuke said slowly, his voice laced with badly controlled fury. "Get _out_ before I do something I'll regret."

Naruto stepped out onto the porch, turning back for a moment. "I'll see you at work tomorrow, then?"

The door slammed in his face. Naruto sighed and looked to the heavens, wondering how on earth he was going to try and fix _this_ one.

-.-.-

Naruto prepared himself for a long and lonely day at work the following morning. He hadn't been able to get in contact with Iruka to warn him he might need his help. He didn't expect Sasuke to show up- ever again, in fact.

So, he certainly didn't expect to turn the corner and see Sasuke waiting outside, looking in the other direction- smoking a cigarette, but he was still _there_ at least.

Naruto called out to him, earning a glance in his direction, but no words.

"You were doing so well," the blond commented of his cigarette, fishing his keys out of his pocket and opening the lock on the door. "Why start again now?"

Sasuke refused to reply, not even looking at Naruto. Naruto shrugged, entering the shop and leaving the door unlocked for when Sasuke decided to join him. He did so about thirty seconds later, and Naruto grabbed his arm when he prepared to stalk straight past him without a word.

"I'm glad you came today," he told him.

Sasuke yanked his arm free and gave Naruto a death glare, but still didn't speak.

"Look, we need to deal with this before we start work," Naruto told him. "I'm sorry. I find myself saying 'sorry' a lot, but I really do _mean_ it, Sasuke. I was just curious, and I loved music boxes as a kid and I couldn't help myself. I didn't think it would be such a huge deal."

Sasuke still didn't respond, continuing to glare at him.

"But, really, Sasuke… You should move out of that house. It isn't good for you to be living in the same house they lived and _died_ in. I can't even begin to imagine what that does for your sanity- the only thing I know is you're so tightly wound up about the whole thing still. It's been two years and it's still so _raw_ for you. You should have at least _begun_ to put it behind you- I know you won't get _over_ it, but honestly Sasuke…"

He tailed off, noticing Sasuke was now staring in the other direction. His face was impassive, as though he wasn't even listening.

"And you're ignoring me, aren't you?"

Sasuke still stayed silent.

"Well, excuse me for trying to help you," Naruto snapped. "You said you liked it when I was blunt and didn't treat you lightly. Here's a newsflash for you, Sasuke- _you will go insane if you continue to live there_. You'll carry what happened around with you forever, and you'll never move on from it. _Sell_ the house and use the money to get a place somewhere _else_."

When he continued to get no response from Sasuke, he rolled his eyes and pointed at the door.

"Fine. Go home, Sasuke. Come back tomorrow when you've had time to calm down."

It seemed Sasuke wasn't _completely_ ignoring him, as he turned and walked straight out the shop without a glance or word to Naruto. Naruto watched him go, sighing in defeat. He'd stop by after work and see if he could talk some sense into him then, he decided. Trying to talk to him now was clearly impossible, and he didn't fancy trying to work with him under that atmosphere.

-.-.-

Naruto made his way down Sasuke's street, walking intentionally slowly. The fact it was raining wasn't lightening his mood any, and he wrapped his long black coat tighter around himself. His hair was drenched, his bangs sticking to his forehead and dripping into his eyes.

He mentally cursed Sasuke, blaming him for his damp and miserable condition, even though he knew deep down he himself was- mostly- to blame.

He stopped short near Sasuke's house, squinting through the rain and frowning. Sitting on a bench practically opposite his house was Sasuke- with no coat. He was simply sitting, staring straight ahead, smoking a cigarette.

Or _trying _to smoke a cigarette, Naruto realised as he jogged up the road to his partner's side. It was drenched and no longer lit- though not quite as drenched as Sasuke.

"What are you doing?" He asked, sinking down to a crouch in front of Sasuke when he refused to look up at him.

Sasuke shrugged, his expression blank, flicking the cigarette to the floor and absently stepping on it.

"You _have_ noticed it's raining, right?" Naruto asked. It was such an obvious question, but Sasuke really didn't look like he noticed the torrential rainfall around him. He was shivering, which was the only indication he had noticed the weather.

Naruto yanked his coat off of his shoulders, holding it out to Sasuke. "Take this, you're going to catch a cold if you stay out here like that."

Sasuke simply stared at the garment being held in front of him, blinking at him and not saying a word.

"Sasuke," Naruto said softly, putting a hand out to his shoulder. He was worried now. "How long have you been sitting out here?"

Sasuke looked as though he wasn't going to answer again, but he sighed quietly, not meeting Naruto's eye, and spoke.

"All day."

Naruto's eyes widened- surely he hadn't heard that right?

"You moron!" He snapped, throwing the unaccepted coat down onto the bench sinking down onto it. "You're stupid. No, scrap that- you're really, _really_ stupid."

Sasuke stared at him for a moment before bursting into tears.

Naruto stared right back, feeling instantly guilty. "Oh, fuck. I'm sorry, Sasuke, I-"

"Don't say sorry," Sasuke snapped at him, though it seemed his anger was aimed more at himself for his sudden outburst than at Naruto. "Do you know why I'm out here and not in _there_?"

He pointed across to his house with a shaking hand, using his other hand to attempt to dry the tears on his cheeks.

"No…?" Naruto answered, knowing it was a rhetorical question, but unable to stay silent.

"Because my keys are locked in the house. Do you know _why_ my keys are locked in the house?"

"Because you forgot them this morning?" Naruto answered again, knowing that would be the wrong answer, but not having any other rational explanation.

"No. Because I opened the door and threw them in there. My door locks when you shut it, so you can lock yourself out quite easily."

"Why did you do that?" Naruto asked, going through the motions even though he wanted to scream at his boyfriend for his inability to take care of himself, before whisking him home to put him straight to bed with a warm drink.

"When I got home this morning and opened the door, I couldn't go in after everything you said this morning," Sasuke told him, wrapping his arms around himself as he shivered, coughing slightly. Naruto put an arm around his waist, concerned for his health. His clothes were soaked through, his skin was slightly blue in hue from the cold, and his hair was loose around his shoulders. It was actually quite long without the style- having been pounded out of it by the torrential rain- and Naruto had to resist running his hands through it.

"So I sat out here for a while, just thinking about you and Kakashi and how you're both right," Sasuke continued, flinching as he finally felt Naruto's hand on his back.

"About selling the house?"

Sasuke nodded. "What you say… It means a lot to me. It means so much to me I somehow ended up sitting out here all freaking afternoon too afraid to go inside because it felt like betraying your attempt at helping me."

Naruto let out a long, drawn out sigh. "You've got to be kidding me."

Sasuke glared at him. "Don't make me try to explain the workings of my mind to you."

"Can't we just break a window?" Naruto asked. "I could go in and get your keys, if you didn't want to go in still."

Sasuke laughed slightly, shaking his head. "The windows are reinforced. My parents were paranoid about thieves, even in this area."

His wistful smile turned to a frown, and he stared at the floor, not meeting Naruto's eye.

"I'm _tired_," he said quietly, closing his eyes.

"Didn't you sleep after I left?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Of course not."

"So you've been up most of the night?"

Sasuke nodded, closing his eyes again. "Yes."

"So, you haven't eaten since…" Naruto thought for a moment. "_Please_ don't tell me you skipped breakfast."

Sasuke didn't meet his eye.

"You did?"

A nod.

"So…" Naruto began, sighing heavily. "You've been up most of the night, you haven't eaten in about a day, and you've been sitting out on a bench in the rain so long I'm surprised you haven't died of hypothermia. Do you not see what's _wrong_ with that, Sasuke?"

"Of course I do," Sasuke snapped back at him, folding his arms and glaring at Naruto through the rain.

"Then why the hell didn't you just come to the shop?" Naruto demanded to know.

"Because we didn't part on good terms, did we?" Sasuke responded. "I didn't expect you to come by tonight."

"So you were just going to sit out here staring at your house all night?"

"Probably."

"You'd just sit here until you starved to death or something?"

"Probably."

Naruto looked skyward, catching an eyeful of rain for his trouble. "I'm not going to let that happen, you know that, right? Do you _honestly_ want to sit out here in the rain, Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked like he wanted to protest that yes, he did want to sit out here and he didn't need Naruto's help, but sighed in defeat instead. "No."

"Good," Naruto said with a nod, standing up. "Because sitting out here isn't going to do you any good, and I don't want to be out here much longer either."

He grabbed his coat, shaking it out a bit and offering it to Sasuke again. When Sasuke declined it again, he grabbed him and practically forced him into it, giving him a stern look.

"You clearly can't take care of yourself right now," he snapped, not meaning to sound as harsh as he did. "Wear the damn coat."

Sasuke glared at him and wrapped the coat around his thin frame, still shivering, but Naruto was at least satisfied that he'd begin to warm up.

"I don't have any money," Sasuke said quietly. "My wallet's in the house. I forgot to pick that up as well."

"You didn't think about that before shutting yourself out?"

"I didn't think about much," Sasuke admitted. "I only noticed when I realised I was getting low on cigarettes."

"Great priorities you have there," Naruto sighed. "Not 'oh I haven't eaten in forever'- no, _you _think 'I don't have the cigarettes I'm supposed to be quitting anyway'."

"I'm not hungry."

"I don't believe that for a second."

"I don't _feel_ hungry."

"How do you feel, then?" Naruto asked softly, grabbing Sasuke in a hug and burying his head in his neck. Attempting to keep his boyfriend sane and happy was such a chore sometimes- but he wouldn't give it up for the world now he had him.

Sasuke laughed, just slightly, and Naruto welcomed the sound. "I'm tired and wet and the rain _isn't_ helping the fact I've been needing to pee since about lunchtime."

Naruto held him slightly closer, smiling to himself. "Well, at least you still have a sense of humour."

"None of the above is even _remotely_ funny."

"And it's your fault," Naruto told him cheerfully, letting him go and indicating with his head for them to start heading up the road.

"You're the one who gave me a complex," Sasuke half-sulked, following Naruto up the road. Naruto poked him in the ribs, grinning when Sasuke scowled and pushed him away.

"You look like you're about to fall over," he commented.

"I told you I'm _tired_."

"Do you need me to hold you up?"

He snickered as Sasuke glared darkly at him, rolling his eyes and folding his arms. He seemed happier, at least, and that was all Naruto cared about right then. That, and getting him home and dry so he didn't come down with the hypothermia he'd feared earlier.

-.-.-

_Author's Note: Sorry this took slighter longer than usual- that evil real life crept up on me! XD_

_Next time- explanations about Sasuke ;)_


	7. Step Seven

**Taming Sasuke**

Step Seven

"I'm sorry that it's messy," Naruto told Sasuke as he opened the door to his apartment. "I wasn't expecting visitors."

Sasuke shrugged, letting Naruto enter first and following him inside. He'd been to Naruto's apartment only once- when he'd had to drag him across town when he was drunk. He'd somehow coaxed the location of Naruto's bedroom out of him, practically throwing him onto the bed before turning to leave. Naruto had had other ideas though, stripping his shirt and pulling Sasuke back down onto the bed. He smiled slightly at the memory.

"There should be some fresh towels on the rack in the bathroom," Naruto told him, kicking his shoes off in the doorway.

"And where would that be?" Sasuke asked, taking his shoes off as well and shrugging the sodden coat from his shoulders.

"It's en suite to my bedroom. I seem to remember you knowing where _that_ is."

He winked at Sasuke, who gave him a sharp glare in response.

"Just because I agreed to date you doesn't mean I'm still not angry about that," he admonished.

"Shut up and go dry off," Naruto ordered of him, shooing him with his hands.

Once Sasuke had followed his instruction, Naruto headed to the kitchen, searching through the cupboards with a frown. Sasuke's cooking was exceptional, and he knew he couldn't make anything even _close_ to his standards. He also didn't have much in the way of _real_ food- he made a mental note to go shopping and not live off his supply of instant cup ramen.

He turned, aiming to find the phone book and take the easy route of take-out, but stopped when he noticed Sasuke standing in the doorway, watching him impassively. He had a pastel blue towel around his neck, leaning against the doorway as though he was about to collapse.

"Don't worry about the food," Sasuke told him. "I so tired I can barely see straight. I'd rather just go to sleep."

"I'll go to the store and buy some proper food while you're sleeping," Naruto told him. "You have to eat something when you get up, alright? You can take my bed. I'll find some clothes you can wear since those are so wet."

Sasuke grimaced. "Do you have anything that isn't _orange_?"

Naruto sighed at him. "I'm sure I can find something."

Sasuke nodded at him in thanks, setting off back out the hallway and to Naruto's bedroom. Naruto watched him go, picking up his keys from his counter again. He figured he may as well go to the shop now while he was still wet from the weather.

-.-.-

Naruto was aware he was slightly tired. He was sitting at his kitchen table, a long-empty coffee mug in front of him as he stared into the darkness. It was only just gone midnight, but he wanted to be awake when Sasuke woke- he'd called Iruka and told 'I'll explain later but please cover us tomorrow morning'. Iruka, being the sensitive person he was, immediately sensed an actual problem and told him he could give them until two pm, and then at least one of them needed to be there.

He knew sitting with the lights off wasn't going help him stay awake, but he didn't move to switch them on. He'd been sitting at the table since he'd got back from the store and it was still mostly light, and hadn't motioned to turn the light on when the natural sunlight died away. He was thinking.

He didn't normally do much thinking. It wasn't that he was stupid- no, far from it. He just didn't like taking the time to sit down and just _think_, usually, since it ended up depressing him. Today was no exception.

He'd already made the decision to tell Sasuke he could live with him. That was easy enough, but he didn't know if his dark haired partner would accept. Their relationship was a strange one- Naruto would be asking him to stay to offer him a hand, but Sasuke would probably see it as "advancing" their relationship, even if Naruto offered to sleep on the sofa and never go anywhere near him.

They were definitely a couple- that was pretty established now. They kissed, they got a bit raunchy, and Sasuke was a not-so-secret sentimentalist who gave his boyfriend a gift every day. But they weren't very emotionally connected- all Naruto knew about Sasuke was he had issues with his past and had wild mood swings because of it, and all Sasuke knew of Naruto was… Nothing. He knew absolutely nothing beyond his name.

Naruto sighed, closing his eyes to the tears that formed. He wasn't the type of person to sit down and cry- he _resented_ it, in fact, but he was tired and emotionally exhausted and the idea of trying to fight it when no-one could even see him wasn't very appealing.

He wanted to sit with Sasuke and just _talk_, and for once not have to try and fix him. He felt selfish to think that- and it probably was, really. He'd never admit it to Sasuke though, and as far as he was concerned, he could feel however the hell he wanted as long as he didn't say it out loud.

He looked up, startled, as a loud crash in the hallway alerted his attention. He jumped up, flicking the lights on. He knew where the switch was in the dark, of course- it was his house after all.

Sasuke was lying in a heap in the doorway, looking up at Naruto with eyes that clearly didn't appreciate the sudden light, tangled amongst a floor lamp that had been placed near the door. He was wearing the clothes Naruto had picked out for him and left on the end of his bed- black pants and a pale blue shirt he'd managed to find amidst his wardrobe of bright colours he _knew_ Sasuke wouldn't appreciate.

"Why the hell are you sitting here with the lights off?" Sasuke asked, pulling himself out the pile he'd fallen into and to an upright sitting position, pushing the lamp to one side roughly.

"Why are you creeping around in the dark?" Naruto countered, sitting back at the table and keeping them trained on the table, hoping Sasuke wouldn't see the tears in them.

"I didn't know where the light switch was to turn it on," Sasuke responded, folding his arms and not getting up from the floor. "And I was looking for you."

"Well, I'm right here," Naruto snapped before he could stop himself. He was feeling self-piteous, and besides, Sasuke had mood swings all the time- surely he was allowed to feel rough and take it out on him, too? "And now you're awake, you're going to eat."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, getting to his feet. "What's wrong, Naruto?"

"Nothing," Naruto replied sharply, knowing Sasuke would see straight through him.

Sasuke did- he walked across the kitchen, sitting across from Naruto at the table with a soft sigh. "This isn't like you, Naruto. What is it?"

"You need to eat," Naruto answered swiftly, not wanting to engage the conversation.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Stop trying to avoid the subject. What's _wrong_?"

Naruto looked up at him, giving him a bitter smile, realising he wasn't going to be able to get out of this one. "I'm a selfish moron who shouldn't be allowed to think. It's nothing, really."

Sasuke gave him a curious look. "Selfish? Where'd you pull that from? You're the one who's been kind enough to let me stay here tonight. You're the one who offered to give me a hand with Pakkun when I was a complete stranger."

"Those things don't mean I'm not selfish," Naruto reasoned. He clasped his hands together, looking down at them and trying to make it clear he wasn't going to elaborate.

Sasuke looked like he wanted to push it, but chose not to.

"How are you feeling right now?" Naruto asked, changing the subject again.

"Better," Sasuke admitted. "More rational, at least. I'm going to have to hire a locksmith to get back in my house, though."

"You're going to go back?" Naruto asked, trying to stop from sounding disappointed.

"I have to," Sasuke told him. "I can't stay here."

"Why not?"

Sasuke blinked, confused. "What?"

"Why not?" Naruto asked again. "You can stay with me as long as you need."

Sasuke gave him an awkward smile. "That's not a step I was planning on taking yet."

Naruto gave him a glare. "I _knew_ it," he said, his voice harsher than intended. "I _knew_ you'd see it that way. I'm not offering because you're my boyfriend, I'm offering because I'd rather not see you go back to that house, and I know you don't _really_ want to go back, either."

There was silence for a moment, which Sasuke broke.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I'll stay."

Naruto looked up at him, shaking his head slightly. "Don't stay to make me feel better. If you'd rather go back there, then go."

Sasuke shook his head as well, reaching out and pulling Naruto's hand across the table slightly towards him, holding it tightly. "I _want_ to stay," he said quietly. "I'm just scared, Naruto. I'm not too good with this relationship stuff, am I?"

"I don't think you're doing too badly," Naruto admonished. "After all, what other guy gives his partner gifts every day?"

Sasuke blushed slightly, giving Naruto a 'I thought we had an unspoken rule not to mention that' look.

"Besides, it doesn't have anything to do with our relationship," Naruto continued. "I'm not suggesting we start sharing a bed and you move all your stuff in. I'm just saying, you can stay here while you sort out what you're doing with your house and all that."

Sasuke gave him a nod, acknowledging what he had said. "You've done a good job of changing the subject," he said instead, giving Naruto a slightly amused smile.

Naruto glared at him, pulling his hand away. "Take the hint that I don't want to talk about it, then," he said, not caring that he sounded slightly sulky. "You ask I don't make a big deal when _you_ get upset, so try applying that to me, alright?"

Sasuke shrugged. "When you word it like that, I can't refuse can I?"

"Speaking of you and getting upset," Naruto said after a moment. "You need to see a shrink."

Sasuke opened his mouth, looking slightly offended, but Naruto put a finger out to his lips and shushed him.

"I'm serious," he continued. "You need help dealing with what happened to your family. I know you warned me about it all, but it's painful to see you react the way you do. You don't know anything about me, Sasuke, so it might surprise you if I told you I _know_ how it feels to lose your parents."

He ignored the surprised look his boyfriend gave him, continuing his small, but heartfelt, rant.

"Two years after mine died, I'd begun to move on from it. I didn't have the nightmares anymore, I didn't get upset about it all the time, and I was able to function as a reasonable human being most of the time."

He glanced at Sasuke, who was now staring at the table. "Basically, the opposite of you," he concluded. "And that's why I _know_ you need to move out. My parents didn't even die in my house and I _had_ to get out of it after about six months- Iruka came to live with me, and I asked if we could find a place together instead. I couldn't stand to live there, so I can't possibly see how you've managed to stay in the place yours _died_ in for _two_ years."

"I already said I was going to sell it and move out," Sasuke snapped, the truth grating on him slightly. "I'll do that before you go making me appointments with a psychiatrist."

Naruto nodded. "I can accept that. Now, we've got the morning off, but Iruka needs at least one of us in at two pm. We can either both go, or I can go."

"Wait, why can't just _I_ go?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes and sounding offended.

"Because _you're_ the unstable one," Naruto said bluntly, giving him a smile to show he didn't mean it harshly.

Sasuke sighed, folding his arms on the table. "Point taken, I suppose."

"So, if I'm going to be the one to go in, I need some sleep. You're welcome to join me at work depending how you feel tomorrow."

He stood from the table, not even waiting for a response or saying goodnight. He was tired, and the day and previous night had worn on him considerably. He hadn't slept well when he'd arrived home from being thrown out at Sasuke's house, he'd worked all day, and then found Sasuke developing an anxiety disorder on his own doorstep. It had been a trying day, as an understatement.

He'd barely had time to close the bedroom door and get changed for bed when he heard a soft knock at it.

"You don't need to knock," Naruto sighed, rolling his eyes and getting into bed.

Sasuke pushed the door open, looking a little sheepish. "You might have been changing."

"Even if I _was_, I'm your boyfriend aren't I?" Naruto told him.

Sasuke thought about that for a moment before shrugging, leaning on the door frame, looking awkward.

"Make yourself at home," Naruto told him. "And feel free to wake me up in a few hours, I just need _some_ rest now."

Sasuke stayed in the doorway, still looking awkward.

"My home isn't going to bite," Naruto reassured him.

"I think I worked out why you think you're selfish," Sasuke said after a moment, giving away the reason for his presence. "You want more relationship-stuff going on between us and less being my unofficial counselor don't you?"

Naruto shrugged, knotting his hands together under the bedcovers. "You told me yourself not to expect too much," he replied.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting that," Sasuke replied, sighing and leaning his head back on the wooden door frame. "And I'm sorry I'm screwed up. I'm not going to keep you awake any longer with this, Naruto… I just wanted to make it clear that if that's what the problem was, then you're entitled to feel that way."

He left before Naruto could say anything else, pulling the door closed and leaving the blond to staring at the oak door, a sad smile on his face. He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, but it still took him a while to fall asleep, cursing his mind for daring to do more of that 'thinking' thing he hated so much.

-.-.-

"Hey."

Naruto awoke to Sasuke shaking his shoulder gently, sitting on the bed next to him. He looked up at him sleepily, noticing light was starting to flit in behind his curtains.

"What time is it?" He asked, clearing his throat as his voice came out rough.

"Nearly six," Sasuke said quietly, keeping his hand on Naruto's arm.

"You didn't need to leave me that long," Naruto told him, sitting up and leaning on the padded cream headboard, yawning.

"It's alright, I found stuff to do," Sasuke shrugged. "I'm glad you went to the store though- I had _proper_ food to make a meal with. You know you can't survive on cup ramen, don't you?"

Naruto glared at him, looking mock-upset. "I _like_ cup ramen."

"And I _don't_. If I'm going to live here, we're going to have to come to some compromises."

Naruto pouted. "Next you'll be trying to make me eat real food."

Sasuke grinned slightly at him. "You enjoyed my cooking, didn't you? I'm sure I can make something interesting out of 'real' food."

Naruto stretched lazily, sitting on the edge of the bed to get up. "And that's why I love you. You can _do_ stuff like that."

He caught the look Sasuke was giving him, and thought for a moment what he had said that would warrant the 'deer in headlights' response he was getting. He realised after a moment though, his own eyes widening.

"Ah," he said. "Ignore that. I didn't mean- ah, not that I don't _mean_ it, but… I…"

Sasuke wasn't listening to him- he was too busy trying to bolt out of the room. Naruto's reflexes were fast despite his sleepy state, and he blocked the doorway bodily before Sasuke could make his exit.

"Don't run," he begged as Sasuke attempted to shove him out the way. "Please don't run away."

Sasuke stopped, giving Naruto an anguished look of confusion.

"Look, even if I don't say it out loud, I'm going to still feel it," Naruto told him evenly, having learnt that being firm was the only way to knock Sasuke out of his strange moods. "And you'll have to learn to deal with that. Because as you are right now, you can run away all you like- it'll still scare you. And it'll still scare you in six months, or even six _years_."

"I told you I was going to move out of the fucking house," Sasuke snapped at him, leaning against the wall with one hand. "Why are you still-"

"Did I say anything about your house?" Naruto interrupted. "I meant your _mental state_."

"The 'mental state' I _warned_ you about," Sasuke raved back. "If you have such a problem with it, we don't have to do this!"

Naruto sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Sasuke, don't you get it? You can give me all the warnings you want, it won't make a difference. I'm not going to just walk away because you have problems. But, they're problems that can be _fixed_, so you should _try_."

"Are you done talking about me like I'm inanimate?" Sasuke continued to rave, his voice rising.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Naruto tried to reason, unable to keep his voice from rising in pitch as well.

"I told you relationships scared me, Naruto, and I made it clear you'd have to accept that! People that get close are people that can be taken away!"

His voice cracked, and Naruto averted his eyes as Sasuke stopped and leant his arm against the wall, resting his head in it.

Naruto felt guilty- he understood how that felt. He'd pushed Iruka away for a long time, never saying 'I love you', never accepting him as his legal guardian- all because he was frightened that he, too, would be taken from him like his parents had.

He'd only been ten at the time, but he had grown up awfully quickly. Over time, the mental wounds had faded, and he found himself able to smile again. Able to accept Iruka as his new family. Able to _love_ people again. The counselor they had sent him to had done a good job in helping him sort his emotions out, that was for sure.

He wanted to help Sasuke. He had felt how he did- though Sasuke seemed worse for it. He imagined the shock of having your parents murdered by your brother was a lot worse than the shock of being told they'd died in road accident- if you could compare such things, at least.

"Where were you when he killed them?" He asked suddenly.

Sasuke turned to him from his spot still leaning face-first on the wall, narrowing his eyes. He looked a little less angry, at least.

"What kind of question is that?" He spat.

"Just answer me."

"I'm not going to," Sasuke told him defiantly, trying to push him out the way again. Naruto blocked him with both his arms, wrapping his arms around him and sweeping him to the floor with his leg. Sasuke fell to the floor, dragging Naruto down with him.

Naruto was quick to pin him, straddling his chest and pinning his arms up by his head onto the floor. Sasuke tried to push him off, but failed to do so.

"What are you _doing_?!" He yelled.

"Answer the question!" Naruto snapped, raising his voice. His tone of voice suggested he was _really_ going to lose his temper if Sasuke continued his refusal to answer.

"_Why_?" Sasuke snapped back. "If you're trying to upset me, it's not working- you're just pissing me off!"

Naruto growled angrily at him. "I'm _not_ intentionally'trying to upset you', why the fuck would I want to do that?"

"Oh I don't know, how about when you asked me questions about _then_ that you should _know_ aren't the type of thing you ask someone?!"

"You're right," Naruto told him, readjusting his position on Sasuke's chest slightly, but not letting him up. "It's not my place to ask these questions, but you won't go and see the people who _should_ be."

Sasuke didn't have a response for that, trying to struggle free again.

"Sasuke!" Naruto snapped, his voice loud enough to deafen. "**Answer me!**"

Sasuke stopped struggling finally, and Naruto instantly felt bad for pushing it so hard. But, he had what he felt were valid reasons, which he would explain to his angry boyfriend if he'd just answer the damn question already!

He still didn't get an answer, so he stood, releasing Sasuke with a sigh. "Alright. How about some toast?"

Sasuke looked up at him from his spot on the floor, eyes anguished and confused. "What…?"

"I said do you want some toast?"

"I don't understand…"

"Do you want some toast or not? You're not going to talk about it, so I'm done with the conversation, Sasuke."

Sasuke stared up at Naruto as he left the room when he didn't get a reply, unable to quite comprehend what the hell had just happened.

Naruto made his way to the kitchen, closing his eyes sadly. He was concerned for Sasuke's mental health to the point where he was tempted to physically drag him to the doctor and force every last detail about how he felt out of him. But, he wouldn't. He needed Sasuke to see why it was important he do it himself.

He had his reasons for asking that question. Conversations he'd had with his counselor after his parents deaths had come flooding back- questions which he knew weren't heartless attempts at upsetting him, but questions to try and make sense of what was going on inside his head.

He set about making some toast, closing his eyes as he heard the kitchen door open. He didn't turn around, waiting for Sasuke to speak.

He did, though he didn't say what Naruto had expected.

"Do you have any strawberry jam?"

-.-.-

Sitting at the table over breakfast- which Sasuke had decided to forgo since Naruto couldn't find any jam- was awkward. Sasuke was clearly upset about their conversation, and Naruto found it quite cute that he opened and closed his mouth about eight times to ask a question he eventually chose not to.

"You want to know why I asked, don't you?" He said as he finished his toast, deciding to put his partner out of his misery.

Sasuke opened and closed his mouth again before settling with a nod of agreement.

"I think you have post-traumatic stress disorder."

Sasuke stared at him, eyes wide in shock. Apparently, he hadn't been expecting that answer. He recovered quickly, narrowing his eyes again.

"PTSD? That's quite a large claim for someone who isn't a doctor."

"You won't talk to your doctor about it though, will you?" Naruto said rhetorically, knowing the answer. "So someone has to try and get it through to you that it's _important_ you talk to _someone_. Even if it's just me."

"I thought you were fed up with being my counselor."

"Those were your words, not mine," Naruto reasoned. "I'm not 'fed up' with it, I just want to help you, and I _can't_ without you trying to help yourself. So, I'll ask again- where were you when it happened?"

Sasuke took his time in answering- but he did at least actually _answer_.

"Asleep in bed. I woke up when I heard screams."

"So you were in the house? Did you see what happened?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Not that."

"You saw something else?"

Sasuke looked away, visibly trembling, closing his eyes as tears filled them. "My brother."

He didn't elaborate- Naruto was confused for a moment before remembering Iruka's words. His brother had killed his parents, and then… He had killed himself. He sighed heavily, shaking his head and suddenly instantly understanding the situation better. Sasuke had watched his brother kill himself.

"I'm not giving you pity," he began, watching Sasuke fold his arms on the table and bury his head in them. "I mean it when I say I'm so sorry to hear that."

If Sasuke could hear him past his harsh sobbing, he didn't answer. Naruto watched him, feeling tears prick the corners of his own eyes. He blinked them back- getting upset as well _wasn't_ going to help the situation, especially if Sasuke interpreted it as pity.

"Have you ever told anybody that?" He asked, reaching out and nudging Sasuke's arm gently to get his attention.

Sasuke looked up at him, and Naruto's heart almost broke. He looked so… Broken. That was the only word Naruto could find that fit the description of what he was seeing before him. It made his chest ache, and it took all his restraint not to get up and wrap his arms around his hurting partner.

"Have I what?" Sasuke asked him to repeat, his voice tight and shaking.

"Have you ever told anybody that before?"

Sasuke shook his head, returning his head to his arms.

"Not even your doctor?"

"No," came the soft answer.

"Then you _need_ to."

"I know," Sasuke replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

They sat there for a while, Naruto staring down at the plastic tabletop and Sasuke sobbing quietly into his arms. Naruto really had to wonder how Sasuke had stayed as sane as he was keeping that knowledge to himself, and wondered what other details he'd covered when talking to the doctors. If they knew what he'd just told him, he would have been referred straight to a psychiatrist. But, as it was, it seemed whatever Sasuke had said was no-where near the truth, since he was on a prescription for mild sedatives and that was it.

When Sasuke finally calmed down a bit, Naruto reached across and pulled his hand out from under his head, holding it tightly.

"You've been really brave," he said quietly. "I can't imagine how hard that was to admit. But, I'm right by your side, you hear me? I'm going to help you get past this because no matter how much it scares you, I love you, problems and all."

Sasuke looked up at him, cheeks streaked with tears but a small, sad smile on his face. "Thank you."

Naruto squeezed his hand before letting it go, standing up from the table. "Would you feel up to going out soon?"

"I could do," Sasuke responded, running a hand across his eyes and sighing, coughing slightly. "How come?"

"Well, you keep complaining about how much my kitchen sucks," Naruto told him. "So how about we go shopping?"

Sasuke stood as well, giving him a nod of agreement. "Alright. I think I can manage that."

He surprised Naruto by grabbing his hand, pulling him around the table and capturing his lips in a kiss. Naruto melted into it, wrapping his arms around Sasuke shoulders as Sasuke pushed him back onto the table.

"What are you-"

"Shush," Sasuke hissed gently, pushing him so far back onto the table that he was lying down. "How strong is your table?"

"I don't know, pretty strong I thi-"

That was enough for Sasuke- he jumped up on top of Naruto, straddling his waist and leaning down to kiss him again. Naruto closed his eyes, Sasuke's bangs tickling them as he leant over. He pushed them up, prying Sasuke's lips off of him- with a hint of regret- and shook his head.

"What are you _doing_?" He asked again.

"You don't like it?" Sasuke queried, unbuttoning Naruto's shirt as tracing a hand down his chest.

"I _do_," Naruto replied, shuddering slightly as Sasuke's hand continued its downward descent on his torso. "But, is right now… I don't think now is-"

Sasuke held his free hand up to silence him. "Stop telling me what is or isn't good for me. I'm not a child."

"It's just sudden," Naruto continued, but not stopping Sasuke's wandering hand.

"I've never heard somebody complain so much about a pleasurable proposition," Sasuke sighed, finally stopping what he was doing and jumping back down off the table. "What's the problem?"

Naruto sat up, pulling his shirt back together. "Only five minutes ago you were crying so much I'm surprised you can even talk. And now you're horny?"

Sasuke shrugged awkwardly, blushing slightly. "It's… That happens."

"Eh?"

"I get like that," Sasuke responded, cheeks flushed even redder.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at that. "You _girl_. You have more hormone switches than a PMSing woman."

Sasuke jumped back onto the top, climbing back on top of Naruto's waist again. He pushed Naruto down against the table, effectively pinning him down by his shoulders.

"I think you should shut up and kiss me," he told his boyfriend, his hand returning to its wandering status.

Naruto licked his lips and let Sasuke capture them once again. That was certainly one order he could comply with.

-.-.-

_Author's Note: Not much to say here, really- I hope you're enjoying:)_


	8. Step Eight

**Taming Sasuke**

Step Eight

"I'm going to say this once," Sasuke told Naruto as he grabbed a hand-basket from the supermarket entrance. "Don't you _dare_ put cup ramen in the basket. You have enough in your cupboards to feed a small country for a year."

Naruto pouted. "I can't believe you don't like it."

"I can't believe you _do_."

"I'm paying, aren't I?" Naruto tried to protest.

"And I'm paying you back the moment I get to my bank," Sasuke protested back, heading straight for the fruit and vegetable section near the front of the store.

Naruto pouted further as he followed, but didn't object any more.

"Is there anything you don't like?" Sasuke asked, ignoring Naruto's sulky expression.

"I'm not picky, really," he replied.

"You're not? You had me fooled by your kitchen- or should I say the world's ramen storage room?"

Naruto pouted again. He was rather fond of his ramen collection- he liked being able to chose any flavour he wanted, and in large quantities if necessary.

They were able to compromise well until they reached the sweet aisle. There, Naruto's eyes lit up and he dragged Sasuke by his arm into it.

"No," Sasuke said, shaking his head, pulling his arm free and stopping.

"Why not?" Naruto whined, looking as though he was two seconds from stamping his feet on the floor like a child.

"I hate sweets," Sasuke reasoned.

"And I don't. You won't let me buy cup ramen, so let me buy sweets!"

"You don't _need_ any more freaking cup ramen!"

"My, my. Fancy meeting you two here."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the voice behind him, turning with a small wave. "Kakashi."

"Sasuke, Naruto."

Kakashi put his hand-basket on the floor by his feet, folding his arms. "I haven't heard from you in a while, Sasuke. How are things?"

His eyes scanned Naruto as he said it, a small grin on his lips. Naruto gave him an awkward smile, feeling out of place.

"_Things_ are fine," Sasuke snapped hastily, looking away and hoping Kakashi wouldn't catch the blush on his cheeks.

Luck wasn't on his side. "Sasuke, you're blushing! Is there something you're not telling me?"

Sasuke turned back to him, glaring. "Alright, alright. _Things_ are more than fine."

"Are _things_ dating one another?"

Sasuke glared at him harder. "Shout it louder, I don't think people over on aisle eighteen heard you."

Kakashi took a deep breath. "I SAID ARE-"

Sasuke dropped the hand basket and sprinted forward, placing a hand over Kakashi's mouth.

"You asshole," he muttered. "You enjoy embarrassing me, don't you?"

Kakashi pushed him off easily, giving him a grin. "Of course."

His expression turned slightly more serious, and he gave Sasuke a concerned look. "How have you been feeling?"

"Terrible."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, having not been expecting an honest answer.

"I'm moving in with Naruto for a while," Sasuke continued. "And selling the house."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "How long have I been telling you to do that, hmm? And you listen _now_?"

Sasuke shrugged sheepishly. "It's good advice."

"I'm glad you finally think so. Next you'll be telling me you've quit smoking."

Sasuke continued to look at him sheepishly, and Kakashi's eyes nearly fell out of his head.

"You have?"

"Sort of."

"How do you 'sort of' quit, Sasuke?"

"When you run out of money," Sasuke said with a small smirk.

"How does someone with your bank balance 'run out of money'?" Kakashi asked, confused. "You're not exactly poor, Sasuke."

Sasuke scowled at him. "I locked myself out of my house. My wallet's there."

Kakashi sighed. "Dare I ask?"

"Don't."

"Should I tell you I know a very good locksmith?"

Sasuke looked at him curiously. "You do?"

"Of course. I can call him right now, if you want."

He pulled his mobile phone from his pocket, waving it at Sasuke.

"Kakashi, you're a genius," Sasuke praised.

He waited patiently for Kakashi to make the phone-call, glancing around. Naruto was looking at something further down the aisle- he couldn't tell what, but he _knew_ it would be something he'd disapprove of.

"What time is good for you, Sasuke?" He heard Kakashi ask. "He's free today."

"About six?" Sasuke asked, remembering that at least one of them had to be at work that afternoon, and he really didn't fancy going into the house alone.

Kakashi nodded, relaying what he had been told over the phone, and nodding again to clarify that six was fine. He hung up, pocketing the phone again and informing Sasuke to be outside his house at six to meet the guy.

"Well, I'm pleasantly surprised," he added. "You say you feel terrible, but you look better than I've seen in a long while."

"Trust me, I've had a bad couple of days," Sasuke muttered, crossing his arms and guarding himself to any questions Kakashi may ask.

Kakashi didn't. "If you tell me this turnabout of personality is all due to that blond over there, I'm going to go and kiss him."

Sasuke gave him a jealous glare. "_No_, you will_ not_."

Kakashi laughed, picking up his hand-basket again. "I'm teasing. However, if he's responsible for this- I can see he is from that look in your eye- then I'm thankful you met him. That's all."

Sasuke smiled a little at that, turning to see what Naruto was doing as he returned to his side, and instantly frowning.

"Naruto!" He snapped, grabbing the basket from his hands. "What this in here?"

He indicated the basket, which had become considerably fuller since Sasuke had set it down on the floor.

"Let me get _some_ sweets!" Naruto protested, snatching it back in case Sasuke decided to empty the newly added contents of the basket.

Sasuke sighed heavily. "_Fine_. On one condition."

"Go on," Naruto said, eyeing the basket in his hands wearily.

"You let me buy cigarettes."

Naruto smirked. "You sneaky bastard."

"Do we have a deal?"

"Whatever happened to quitting?" Kakashi sighed from behind him, having heard the conversation.

"I've had a rough morning," Sasuke complained, folding his arms.

Kakashi sighed again, rolling his eyes and pointing down the aisle. "I'm going to leave- I don't want Pakkun tied up outside alone for too long. Have fun, boys."

They both waved him goodbye, Naruto conceding and handing Sasuke a note to buy cigarettes with on the way out. Sasuke took it- or rather, snatched it before Naruto could change his mind- and pointed to the basket.

"Not that much, though. There's got to be enough chocolate in there to make a _bath_ out of."

Naruto winked at him. "Do you want me to try?"

Sasuke blinked. "Why the hell would I want you to do that when I don't _like_ chocolate?"

Naruto pouted at him, visibly deflating. "You're no fun. Besides, I'm hardly going to cover myself in _salad_, am I?"

"Surely we don't need much more, it's just for a couple of days, right?" Sasuke said, indicating the basket and conveniently side-stepping Naruto's conversation.

"Huh? You do realise it's going to take longer than 'a couple of days' to get everything sorted with that house, right?"

"It will?"

"Is that a bad thing?"

Sasuke gave him a small smile, shaking his head. "No. Not at all."

-.-.-

Two hours later, Sasuke was leaning against a freezer cabinet next to Naruto, who was deep in thought, rummaging through different brands and types of ice cream.

"Naruto," Sasuke said eventually. "You've been trying to choose ice cream for twenty minutes now. Would you _please_ just _pick_ one?"

"You're only letting me buy one!" Naruto protested, glaring at him. "It's your fault, you're being unreasonable."

"Not wanting you to buy five types of ice cream is _not_ unreasonable," Sasuke protested with a sigh, pushing himself off of the freezer cabinet. "We've been here two hours or so- it shouldn't take this long to shop. _Hurry up_."

The hand basket they'd had previously had been switched to a trolley at some point- which Sasuke had, of course, ended up having to push. He'd reminded Naruto that they'd have to carry whatever they got back between them, which had lightened the load a little, but it was still quite full up.

Naruto was still choosing ice cream, he realised, his plea for him to hurry apparently going unheeded.

"Naruto," he said again. "Come _on_."

"I'm paying and I let you have money for cigarettes," Naruto replied, not even looking up from the freezer. "So if I want to spend another three hours choosing ice cream, I will."

Sasuke leant back against the freezer next to Naruto, looking skyward. "I skipped breakfast, remember? Standing around in supermarket isn't making me any less hungry."

"Whose fault's that?" Naruto answered, looking up at him and pouting.

"Yours for not having any strawberry jam?"

"I think it's y_ours_ for disliking everything else in my kitchen."

Sasuke looked like he was one more comment away from pushing Naruto into the freezer and leaving him there.

"You're a moron, Naruto," he settled with instead.

Naruto beamed. "I'm _your_ moron."

Sasuke sighed heavily. "Sadly, yes. How much longer are you going to be?"

"I don't freaking know, stop hurrying me up!" Naruto whined, reverting back into his sulky child routine.

"You'd better hurry up before I leave you here," Sasuke threatened. "I was the one who picked your keys up, remember?"

"You wouldn't!" Naruto whined, lifting his head out of the freezer. "I'd have to carry this stuff home all by myself!"

"You have five seconds to pick ice cream, Naruto."

"But-!"

"Four."

"That's not fair!"

"Three."

"Let me have two, then."

Sasuke stopped counting. "If I say yes, can we leave?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically.

"Then yes."

Naruto put the two tubs he was currently holding into the basket, grinning widely. "I knew you'd agree eventually."

"You knew I'd agree when _bribed_," Sasuke corrected, letting go of the trolley and indicating Naruto take it, which he did. "Since you're paying and all, you can checkout while I go and buy cigarettes."

Naruto watched him leave without waiting for a response, his smile cracking into a large grin. With Sasuke gone, he could go and raid the ice cream again for the other flavours he'd cruelly had to pass up.

-.-.-

They both decided to go to the shop in the end- Sasuke feeling surprisingly clingy to Naruto. Naruto didn't mind- if it made his partner feel better, then he was all for it, even if it meant a temporary role reversal. Despite his insecurities and bouts of teary-eyed mood swings, Sasuke had established his place as the leader of the relationship quite firmly. That was alright with Naruto- being led was an enjoyable experience.

Iruka hadn't asked what had happened before he left for the orphanage. He had just given a simple enquiry to them- nothing more than 'are you alright?' and a nod when the answer was yes. He was satisfied they hadn't been deliberately skipping work, if only for Naruto's concerned glance at Sasuke and Sasuke's tired eyes.

They only had an hour left before they were due to shut up and leave to meet the locksmith, yet Naruto was becoming more and more concerned about his boyfriend. At one point, Sasuke had asked him to give up the chair. This was unusual in itself as Sasuke always cited he didn't care for it, and would usually lean up against the wall next to Naruto quite happily.

Naruto had smirked when Sasuke had asked, of course, and had told him no. He'd soon felt guilty, though, when Sasuke hadn't put up a fight about it, leaning back against the wall and looking like he was going to fall over.

After that, he'd gone to get a drink and had since been practically wired to the sink, ignoring Naruto when he'd asked what was wrong with him. Naruto had given him the chair when he'd eventually admitted to a sore throat, which Sasuke soon realised was a mistake.

"You idiot, you've caught a cold!" Naruto was yelling, sighing in frustration. "See, that's what you get for sitting out in the rain all day!"

He placed a hand on Sasuke's forehead, frowning. "And you're hot. You're coming down with a fever."

Sasuke battered the hand away irritably, scowling, taking another sip of his drink. Naruto snatched the glass from him, shaking his head.

"You need warm liquid," he said, his voice stern. "I'll make you some green tea."

"I hate green tea."

He was ignored, Naruto already heading out the back to put the kettle on.

Sasuke sighed, putting a hand to his forehead and brushing his bangs aside. They were sticking to his forehead, which was slick with feverish sweat. He hadn't admitted it to Naruto, but he'd steadily been feeling worse since they'd left the supermarket. He'd just put it down to his rough morning, but as they'd got to the shop, he'd found his throat beginning to feel like it was being shredded and _knew_ he was coming down with something.

He mentally cursed his weak mental state for a moment before directing his irritability in Naruto's direction, who had re-appeared with a mug of green tea.

"I said I don't like green tea, idiot."

Naruto shrugged. "Oh well. We don't have anything else here."

"We have coffee, don't we?" Sasuke asked, glaring at the mug Naruto had put down on the counter opposite them. "I drink coffee."

"You always buy your coffee out," Naruto pointed out. "You've never brought any in, and Iruka and I don't drink the damn stuff."

"I'm quite happy with water," Sasuke protested.

"I'm _not_. It's supposed to be warm liquid, that's what Iruka used to make me drink when I was sick. I'll get you some chicken soup on the way home."

"I don't like that either."

"Is there anything you _do_ like?" Naruto sighed, rolling his eyes and glaring at his difficult partner.

"Tuna. Tomatoes."

"No wonder you're so thin," Naruto told him, poking him in the ribs. "You don't eat anything nutritious."

"Last I checked, both of those were more nutritious than instant ramen," Sasuke chided.

They lapsed into silence, Sasuke picking up the tea and scowling at it before sipping it anyway.

"It's not poison," Naruto sighed.

When Sasuke didn't give him a witty or sarcastic response, he frowned.

"Do you want to go back to mine and get some rest?" He asked, concerned.

When Sasuke still didn't reply, he frowned further and fished his keys out of his pocket, handing them to Sasuke. Sasuke stared at them in his hand before looking up at Naruto, confused.

"Finish that tea and go back to mine," Naruto told him. "I'll go and see the locksmith at your place and sort it out for you. You look like you need some sleep."

-.-.-

Returning home with Sasuke's new house keys, three tins of chicken soup, painkillers, and some green tea since he knew he didn't have any, Naruto was shocked to find Sasuke actually _in_ his bed and half-asleep. He set the bag down at the foot of the bed, sitting on the edge of it next to Sasuke, who looked up at him sleepily.

"You look pretty sick," he commented quietly, laying a hand on his boyfriend's sweat-stricken forehead.

"I'll be fine," Sasuke responded, shaking his head slightly.

"Maybe this will teach you not to do stupid things," Naruto chided gently, swiftly standing and avoiding the hand Sasuke swiped at him in response. "I'll make you some green tea, and _don't_ even think about complaining."

He took the bag he'd brought back with him out to the kitchen as well, grabbing the painkillers as he waited for the kettle to boil. He popped two out of the blister packet, quickly fixing the tea and making his way back in to Sasuke.

He found him sitting up in the bed, one hand to his forehead and looking rather sorry for himself.

"Sasuke, lie _down_," Naruto urged, putting the mug on the bedside table and placing a hand on Sasuke's chest to force him to lie back down again.

"No," Sasuke told him, grabbing his wrist lightly and pushing his hand away. "I don't want to lie down."

He accepted the painkillers Naruto offered him, swallowing them without the aid of water. "And don't think for a second I'm going to let you drown me in _that-_" he pointed to the green tea- "horrible stuff."

"Did you know it's not actually possible for a fish to drown in water?" Naruto mused, putting his hand back on Sasuke's chest as though he hadn't said anything.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him, apparently unsure whether to engage the random conversation, but deciding to in the end. "That's not actually true."

"Yeah it is, I saw it on one of those late night documentary shows!"

"It's _partially_ true. If you were to paralyze the fish and stop it moving, it would drown."

Naruto blinked. "Trust you to know something useless like that."

"You're the one who brought it up, idiot. I didn't put you as the type to watch late night documentaries, though, I have to say."

"You don't really know anything about me, though, do you?" Naruto replied. His face lit up, and he grinned at his boyfriend. "Well, since you went and got yourself sick, you're going to lie there and let me ask you stuff."

"That won't teach me about you, will it?"

"You can ask me stuff as well!" Naruto replied, apparently quite enthusiastic about the idea.

"Alright," Sasuke said eventually, nodding and picking up the green tea. "What did you want to know?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. Just _stuff_."

"That's quite vague, Naruto," Sasuke sighed, sipping the tea to test its temperature.

"I don't know! Like… What's your favourite colour?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him, setting the still too-hot drink down on the bedside table. "What? I thought you meant _important_ things."

"Just answer!" Naruto whined.

Sasuke sighed. "Blue. Let me guess, yours is orange?"

Naruto looked sheepish. "Of course. I like bright colours."

"Okay… Now you know something about me that's completely irrelevant, are you satisfied?"

Naruto poked him in the ribs, causing him to cough violently.

"Idiot," Sasuke rasped at him, holding his ribs and glaring at his boyfriend.

"I just wanted to find out a bit more about you," Naruto protested lightly, folding his arms and sulking. "Alright. How about… Why did you start smoking?"

Sasuke glared at him. "So you can give me a lecture?"

"No, I'm just curious!" Naruto defended.

"An ex suggested it to deal with stress," Sasuke replied with a small shrug. "That's all."

"An ex?" Naruto echoed, sounding slightly surprised.

"Yes, an ex," Sasuke clarified, catching Naruto's look. "You didn't think I'd dated before?"

"Well… _No_," Naruto tried to backtrack, shaking his head. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I've had a few exes," Sasuke clarified further. "After… You know… I did a lot of things I'm not exactly proud of. A string of romances was one of them."

"So are you a virgin?" Naruto asked boldly, half of him wanting to know and the other half not. Sasuke and he had fooled around some, sure, but Sasuke had been clear he wasn't going to initiate any more than that without Naruto's permission, and Naruto was quite happy with taking it slowly.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. "No."

"Oh."

"You don't need to look so disappointed- I wish I could take it back as well. I never saw her again and I don't remember much about it thanks to the amount of alcohol involved."

"Mm."

"Don't be like that, Naruto."

"Like what?"

"Forget it. How about you?"

Naruto blushed slightly. "Yes."

"And dating?"

"I've never dated anyone before you."

"That's a surprise," Sasuke replied, his voice genuine. "I thought someone as good looking as you would have had the girls and guys flocking to his feet."

"I didn't exactly go looking for people," Naruto responded defensively, despite the fact Sasuke wasn't accusingly him negatively. "I always had other things to do that were more interesting."

"Like?"

"Like _stuff_."

Sasuke glared at him. "You wanted some cute bonding session between us, didn't you? 'Stuff' isn't going to tell me much about you."

"_Stuff_ like volunteering at the local pet rescue center," Naruto elaborated, looking slightly shamed.

"That isn't a bad thing, you know."

"I was expecting you to laugh at me."

"Just because I'm not fond of animals doesn't mean I'd laugh at you, idiot."

"Iruka would get annoyed because I'd keep bringing animals home," Naruto said with a small laugh. "I brought home a blind dog once because no-one would home him. And a three legged cat once as well. Oh, and that canary with half a wing. And a hamster-"

He stopped, cutting himself off, continuing to look sheepish. "Sorry. I really do care for animals."

Sasuke shrugged slightly. "I don't _hate_ them. I guess I've just been… Put off them."

"What by?"

Sasuke grimaced. "A dog my mother had when I was a kid."

"You lived under the same roof as an animal?" Naruto replied, feigning shock.

Sasuke scowled darkly at him. "Not _willingly_. That damn thing was such a pain. It would tear up furniture, sit by the letterbox and eat the mail as it came through, and bark in such an _annoyingly_ loud pitch it could deafen you. And _every_ time my mother would make an excuse for it. 'Oh, she's just lonely, that's why she barks, 'oh, she just thought that important document father needed was tasty'. But whenever Itachi or I did anything wrong, _we'd_ get sent to our rooms."

It was Sasuke's turn to stop, cut himself off and look sheepish.

"Itachi is your brother?" Naruto asked, having never heard the name before.

Sasuke nodded. "Yes."

He stayed quiet, picking up the green tea and staring down into it, looking slightly saddened.

"A counselor will be able to help you see memories of your family as a positive, happy thing, not a sad thing," Naruto said so softly Sasuke almost didn't hear him.

"Any counselor who can manage that for me can have anything they want of me," Sasuke remarked with a soft smile.

"Except your body," Naruto said with a wink. "_That's_ mine."

"I told you, that isn't how we work," Sasuke chided, wagging his finger at Naruto. "Besides, why the hell are you horny? I'm sick in bed, and you want to take advantage of me?"

Naruto snickered, taking the half-empty mug from his partner and placing it on the bedside table. "Maybe."

"Well, you can't," Sasuke replied, pushing Naruto away as he advanced on him for a kiss. "I feel awful."

Naruto pouted, but Sasuke shook his head.

"How many animals did you torture poor Iruka with?" He asked, changing the subject.

"What do you mean? How many did I bring home?"

"Yeah."

Naruto shrugged. "I lost count. Iruka would usually put ads out in the local paper to get them re-homed. The pet rescue center I volunteered at wouldn't put unwanted animals down, so we had loads that would just sit in cages because they weren't 'pretty' enough to be taken home by people. Used to make me so sad to see them, especially the sociable ones like dogs."

"Did he ever let you keep any?"

"A couple. The older dogs I'd bring home because no-one wanted them, and they'd been stuck in a freaking rescue center for months."

"We eventually gave our dog away," Sasuke replied, picking up his tea again. "We found out Itachi was allergic to her, and it's was our mother's decision, too. I have to say, it was the only time he felt she valued him over the damn thing."

"What was your brother like?" Naruto asked quietly, lying down on the bed next to Sasuke, who finished the tea and lay down next to him. "You don't have to talk about him if you don't want to, but I guess I'm just morbidly curious."

Sasuke shrugged slightly, apparently not seeming to mind too much right then. "He was the dictionary definition of perfect. He got good grades, he treated our parents with respect, and he never complained about having to take care of me when it was necessary. He'd let me go out with him and his friends instead of yelling at me, and he was working towards a degree in law after taking a gap year to travel Europe. There was nothing out of the ordinary, at least, that I know of."

"Did he say anything to you when… Well, when you saw him _then_?"

"He told me to go back to sleep," Sasuke replied simply, looking slightly uncomfortable with where the conversation was headed. "I don't really want to talk about that, Naruto."

"Sorry."

They lay in silence for a while, Naruto snaking an arm around Sasuke's chest and smiling when he wasn't swiftly removed. He curled up at Sasuke's side, almost recoiling at the heat radiating from his semi-naked body.

"Those aspirin should help bring your temperature down a bit," he said of it.

"I do feel a bit better. Thanks."

"Tomorrow I'll make you some chicken soup for breakfast."

"I told you, I don't like that."

"You don't like green tea, but you're drinking that."

"Only to shut you up, moron."

"I only do it because I care, idiot."

"I know. And that's why I love you."

Naruto's eyes widened, but he wisely decided to keep his mouth closed about what he presumed- from Sasuke's reddened cheeks- was a slip of the tongue. He tightened his arm around his boyfriend then released him, unable to curl up with him as tightly as he wanted thanks to Sasuke becoming a portable heater.

"Sleep well. Hopefully you'll feel better tomorrow."

"Hopefully. Then I won't have to eat chicken soup."

Naruto snickered. "Yeah, yeah. Good night, Sasuke."

"Good night."

They lapsed into silence, Naruto basking in the fact he was sharing his first night in the same bed as Sasuke before quickly becoming drawn into sleep.

-.-.-

_Author's Note: My course ends in three days, and I had a mountain of coursework to get through before I worked on this. However, it's now done, so I could turn my attention back here again._

_Thanks for your continued support with this, guys!_


	9. Step Nine

_Yes, I got this done in a day. A day! I'm so proud of myself XD_

**Taming Sasuke**

Step Nine

"So you called the doctor?"

"Yes. I did say I would."

"And when is the appointment?"

"Three days time, in the morning."

"You'd better not miss it, Sasuke. Do you need me to come?"

Sasuke sighed irritably, resisting the urge to hang up on Kakashi. He'd reverted from his usual cautious status of 'overlooking' Sasuke, to flat out protective and worried when Sasuke had admitted to him what had actually happened on _that_ night. Naruto had insisted that Sasuke confide in him, and Sasuke knew he was right.

"It's fine," he insisted. "I told Naruto the same."

"You _are_ going to give him all the necessary details, aren't you, Sasuke?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Sasuke sighed.

"You kept them from me for so long, didn't you?"

Sasuke winced, unable to answer. Kakashi was clearly still taking the withheld information as some kind of personal insult.

He had expected Kakashi to be angry with him. However, it was much the opposite- when Sasuke had told him he needed to see him, he had complied, looking unsure as he passed through Naruto's front door. Naruto had made himself scarce as Kakashi looked at Sasuke- who was being uncharacteristically sheepish- with an eyebrow raised in expectation.

Sasuke had recounted the details briefly, then found himself being swept into an unexpected hug. He had stood stiffly as Kakashi murmured something that sounded suspiciously like something involving the word 'pity' over his shoulder, so had pushed the older man off, uttering his distaste.

"I'll tell the doctor everything, I promise you."

"Keep me informed, alright?"

"I will."

"That means call me tomorrow morning."

Sasuke was tempted to tell the man to stop fussing, but decided against it. "Alright. I'll speak to you then, Kakashi."

"Bye, Sasuke."

Sasuke hung up the phone, glancing up to the living room doorway. Naruto was standing there watching him, leaning against the doorframe.

"What?" Sasuke asked. "Why are you standing there watching me?"

"Because it's nearly eight thirty," Naruto informed him. "And we need to leave for work."

"We do?"

Sasuke had taken to rising early since living with Naruto, and it often led to him losing track of time. Sasuke had admitted once, and only once, that he did it to make breakfast for Naruto each morning since he didn't have the chance to buy a gift anymore. Naruto had responded that Sasuke's presence was enough of a gift, which had led to Sasuke predictably blushing, changing the subject, and never referring to it again.

"Yes, and Iruka won't be there either, so we need to get going."

"I'm ready, I'm ready," Sasuke protested, standing and brushing his clothes down. "Let's go."

-.-.-

They arrived with ten minutes to spare, Naruto unlocking the store and pushing the door open for Sasuke to pass through first.

"Let Barney in and feed him," he told Sasuke.

"Can't we just starve it instead?" Sasuke muttered as he headed towards the staff area.

"I heard that, bastard."

Sasuke smirked, hanging his coat up and unlocking the back door, looking down to the floor. Barney was, of course, waiting patiently, looking back up at Sasuke.

"Come on in, then," Sasuke sighed, standing aside slightly.

The tuxedo pushed his nose up into the air haughtily, stepping inside and walking straight past Sasuke to his food bowl. Upon finding it empty, he glanced back over to Sasuke and hissed.

"That's not a very polite way of asking for food," Sasuke told him, taking a pouch out of the box on the side. "You need to learn to ask nicely, else I may just let you starve."

"Are you talking to Barney, Sasuke?"

Sasuke turned, nearly dropping the half open pouch. Naruto was in the doorway, looking slightly amused.

Sasuke didn't have a response that wouldn't incriminate himself, so he chose silence, turning his back on Naruto and emptying the food into the metal dish.

"One of the rodents is dead," Naruto said quietly, releasing his real reason for coming to find Sasuke. "Could you… You know…"

"Yeah," Sasuke responded, sparing Naruto from asking the full question when he already knew what it was. "I'll deal with it."

Naruto busied himself pestering Barney, who was trying to eat in peace, whilst Sasuke dealt with the dead rodent. He winced as he opened the cage- it seemed the inhabitants had had a fight in the night, since there was blood splattered on the plastic walls.

His suspicions were confirmed when one of the sleepy gerbils poked its nose out of the house of bedding, looking up at Sasuke with blood on its face.

"You vicious little bastards," Sasuke muttered, reaching in for the dead animal with a sigh.

The telephone rang, and he glanced around, hoping Naruto would take the hint and pick it up. He did- emerging from the staff area with Barney in his arms.

"Mr. Uchiha? I'll just get him for you."

Sasuke frowned, retracting his gloved hand and glancing down at the gerbil within it. Naruto beckoned to him, averting his eyes from Sasuke's hand as he did so.

"It's the estate agent," he mouthed.

Sasuke strode over, taking the phone. Holding a dead gerbil whilst conducting an important conversation wasn't his idea of a fun morning, but it would have to do. He didn't want to keep the person waiting.

"Mr. Uchiha speaking."

"Good morning, Mr. Uchiha. I'm calling regarding your property."

"Yes, please continue."

Sasuke had left the sale of the house in Kakashi's hands, telling him to 'choose a good estate agent and get on with it'. He was surprised to be getting a phone-call at all.

"Our agents have been to view it with Mr. Hatake, and we need you to confirm how much you're willing to put it on the market for."

"Whatever you like," he answered offhandedly.

"What do you mean?" The confused response came.

"Whatever you think its worth," Sasuke continued. "I don't want it any longer, and I need enough money to get myself a flat in the city."

"You'll have enough to get a small house within the city," the estate agent informed him. "The property you currently own is worth a reasonable amount, Mr. Uchiha."

"I trust your judgment," Sasuke told him. "So set the price well for me, would you?"

"O-of course, Mr. Uchiha."

"Thank you. Direct any correspondence to Mr. Hatake from now, would you?"

"I'll direct everything we can to him, but there are things that need your go-ahead occasionally, Mr. Uchiha."

Sasuke shrugged irritably, though obviously the recipient of his tetchiness couldn't see. "Then so be it. Thank you."

"Have a good morning, Mr. Uchiha."

"And you."

Sasuke replaced the receiver, glancing down at the fluffy corpse still in his hand. Naruto was sitting in the chair by the till, looking slightly pale and hugging Barney tightly.

"I'll sort it out now," Sasuke assured him, knowing the source of his discomfort and heading out the back with the gerbil. The policy was to make sure they were dead, then freeze them to be collected by a higher ranked official within the store chain once every few weeks. Thankfully, they only sold rodents and kept few of them in stock, so deaths were not too frequent.

The rodent was most definitely dead, but that didn't make the process of putting it in the freezer any more pleasant. Sasuke did it quickly before taking off the gloves, washing his hands anyway, and making his way back out to Naruto.

Naruto was still hugging Barney, who was purring, apparently content with his position in Naruto's arms.

"I don't like selling them," Naruto said quietly as Sasuke leant against the wall next to him. "The rodents. I wish we didn't."

"How come?"

"Because they get left here overnight," Naruto said softly. "They don't get much love unless we have a quiet afternoon or something. They just get fed, given water, and just… Left there. I hate it. I wish I could take them all home."

"Talk to Iruka about it," Sasuke suggested. "He might agree with you."

"What, about taking them all home?" Naruto said, looking immediately brighter.

"No, about selling them at all," Sasuke countered, rolling his eyes. "They aren't very expensive, but if he's worried about losing any profit, just add a little to the sale of other items in the shop- especially the popular ones. No-one will complain about a small rise."

"I'll talk to him," Naruto replied, looking slightly happier. "He should be stopping by this morning. You need to tell him you won't be here on Friday morning, either."

"I will," Sasuke replied hastily, not wanting the conversation to turn to his impending appointment.

-.-.-

Iruka came by as Naruto said he would, opening the door cheerily and waving to the two boys as he did so.

"Morning," he called, glancing at Naruto with a raised eyebrow as he did so. Naruto was holding one of the rodents, cooing and whispering to it whilst stroking it gently. Sasuke was standing by the desk next to the till, absently stroking Barney as he watched the blonde.

"Barney and yourself are getting on better, then?" He commented, indicating Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke realised what he was doing, abruptly pulling his hand off of Barney and pretending it was no big deal. He had to wonder how the cat had allowed his hand anywhere near him without biting it off, but Barney had seemed content enough not to worry about it- for once.

"What _are_ you doing, Naruto?" Iruka asked, turning his attention to him as he put the gerbil back.

"Giving them some attention," Naruto responded, turning to Iruka. "Iruka, I need to talk to you about these guys."

"What about them? Are they sick?" Iruka asked, looking worried.

"No, they're alright. I just… I…"

Iruka frowned harder, leaning back against the counter. "What is it, Naruto?"

"I don't think we should sell them anymore," Naruto finished. "They don't get any love unless we're not busy, they get left here overnight, and when we came in this morning, they'd had a fight and one was dead. I… I don't like it."

Iruka looked sympathetic. "I understand what you mean, Naruto. If you don't think we should sell them anymore, we won't."

"Really?" Naruto asked, looking surprised.

Iruka shrugged. "It was a suggestion by the upper management of this chain. I'll just tell them there isn't much demand for them anymore."

"Well… Thank you," Naruto responded, looking confused, but happy at least.

"I'm barely here anymore, Naruto," Iruka responded. "There's no reason why you can't start making decisions, especially since you _are_ Assistant Manager."

Naruto beamed at that. "So what about these little guys?"

He indicated the rodents behind him hopefully.

"No you can't take them home," Sasuke and Iruka cut in at the same time.

Iruka glanced around at Sasuke, grinning. "Ah, I presume he told you about what he used to do when he volunteered at that pet rescue center," he said.

"He did," Sasuke confirmed, nodding in Naruto's direction. "And don't even try it, you. I don't want live in a house full of vermin, thanks."

Iruka looked momentarily confused at that remark, before Naruto filled him in.

"Sasuke's staying with me while he sells his house."

"You're selling it?" Iruka echoed. "That… Well, that's probably a good thing, Sasuke."

"So I've been told."

"And Sasuke won't be here on Friday morning," Naruto continued. "He has a-"

"That's enough," Sasuke raised his voice above him, looking slightly sheepish. "I'll be at the doctor, Iruka. I don't really want to discuss why."

Iruka shrugged. "I understand the need for privacy, Sasuke. I'm not going to pry. Just make a note of when you get back so I can edit the timesheets before sending them off to the company."

"I will. Thanks, Iruka."

-.-.-

Sasuke watched the clock on the wall, wishing it would tick faster. He had an appointment for 9.30, half an hour after the doctor opened, and they were _still_ running late on appointments, much to his vexation.

He heard the red LCD screen beep, meaning a new name was being called, and glanced up at it expectantly. Sure enough, it read his name, and he stood and obeyed its instruction to go to the 'third room on the left down the hall'.

He knocked the door lightly, hearing a faint 'come in' in reply. He did so, closing the door quietly behind him.

"What can I do for you, Sasuke?" The doctor asked kindly, turning round and giving him a smile. He was middle aged, yet with age wrinkles and white hair. Sasuke figured that his job probably involved quite a bit of stress.

"I need to talk to you about that night," Sasuke replied boldly, surprising himself with the certainty in his voice.

The doctor folded his arms, leaning back in the chair with interest. "Do go on."

"I haven't been entirely truthful," Sasuke continued quietly. "I haven't given you all the details of that night."

"Then please elaborate," the doctor replied, nodding his approval for Sasuke to continue. "Tell me from the start."

-.-.-

_Sasuke stirred, unsure what had woken him, but utterly certain that something had done. He sat up, fumbling for the switch on his bedside lamp, eventually finding it and flicking it into life. He glanced at the clock resting beside it, realising it was three thirty am._

_He strained his hearing, listening for the mystery noise that had awoken him, but hearing nothing. He lay down again, reaching out to flick the lamp off again._

_Sasuke froze as he heard it again- it sounded like a gunshot, cutting through the air like a knife. He threw the covers back and jumped out of bed, instantly alert._

_He stepped out into the hallway, wondering what was going on. He lived in the good neighbourhood, and crime was minimal. It had to be a car backfiring, he told himself, turning round to head back to bed when he heard no further noise._

_He stopped as he put a hand on his door to push it open again- he could hear someone struggling to breath through crying. Concerned, he tip-toed back down the hallway towards his parents bedroom, where the noise was coming from._

_He pushed the door wide open, concerned._

"_Dad, wh-"_

_He stopped, eyes widening and unable to comprehend the scene in front of him. The room was dark and the air was thick with a scent he didn't recognize, but he _could_ see his brother sitting on the edge of the bed with his hands over his head._

"_Itachi?" He whispered._

_Itachi didn't appear to hear him._

"_Itachi?" He said louder. "What's going on?"_

_Itachi looked up at him, and Sasuke could see the tears streaking his cheeks even in the semi-darkness._

"_Go back to sleep, Sasuke."_

"_What?"_

"_I said go back to sleep."_

"_Not until you tell me what's wrong," Sasuke defied, stepping into the room and flicking the light-switch on. He would apologise to his parents if they woke with the light, but he assumed they would want to know what was wrong with their eldest son, too._

_The scene on the bed was too much for him to take in. There was blood, and lots of it. It was soaking the bed in crimson, dripping onto the cream carpet below slowly and thickly. The lemon walls were splattered in the blood as well, and Sasuke suddenly realised what the smell in the air was._

_He realised with a start that _his parents_ were amidst all that blood, and he stepped forward with a hand outstretched to them before the sensible part of his brain stopped him. They were clearly dead, and his mind registered the sound that had woken him had, indeed, been gunfire._

"_Get out of here!" Itachi yelled at him, standing up as he did so. Sasuke noticed with a start that there was a gun on the bed next to where he had been sitting._

"_What happened?" Sasuke asked instead, suddenly frantic, suddenly wanting to push past his brother as he attempted to shepherd him out of the room. "What happened to them?"_

"_This is for the best," Itachi replied, pushing Sasuke out of the room and slamming the door in his face. Sasuke wrenched it open again, watching Itachi stalk across to the bed and grab the gun again._

"_Itachi, wha- no, put that down! What are you doing?!"_

"_Get _**out**_ of here," Itachi repeated, turning the gun on Sasuke, who stepped back with a start. "I don't plan on killing you as well, Sasuke."_

"_As well?" Sasuke asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Tears were stinging his eyes and he could barely breathe, but he didn't notice either. All he could see, all he could sense, was the scene playing out before him. "What do you mean 'as well', Itachi?"_

"_What do you think?" Itachi snapped in response, not lowering the gun. "I killed them! I killed them, Sasuke!"_

_Sasuke was lost for words, opening and closing his mouth, his voice lost in the shock of this new revelation._

"_Why?" He uttered eventually, his voice catching in his throat. "__**Why**__?!"_

_He didn't get an answer. Itachi gave him a sad smile, turned the gun on himself, and pulled the trigger._

_Sasuke stared. It was all he could do- all his body could comprehend doing- before he felt the room swim before him. Whether it was due to the tears in his eyes or his loss of consciousness moments later, or perhaps both, he was unsure._

-.-.-

Sasuke clenched his hands together in his lap tightly, not meeting the doctor's eye. He didn't _want_ to, expecting to be chided for keeping the information to himself. He fought the urge to cry, figuring now was _not_ the time or place to lose the firm grip he'd kept on his composure.

"Well," the doctor said after a moment, clearing his throat. "I don't blame you for not telling anyone sooner."

Sasuke looked up at him, surprised. "You don't?"

"Of course not," the doctor clarified, looking sympathetic as he met Sasuke's eye. "My only concern now is getting you treated properly. I've been giving you sedatives for night terrors, which I now know is not enough. There's a big difference between the trauma of losing your family, and the trauma of _witnessing_ the loss of a family member."

"I hate him," Sasuke snapped viciously.

"No, you don't," the doctor replied softly, shaking his head. "You don't hate him. If you did, you wouldn't feel the need to express it so venomously."

Sasuke didn't choose to argue.

"Now, the first thing I need to do with you is book you into a therapist," the doctor said matter-of-factly, turning from Sasuke to his computer screen and beginning to tap in notes. "Tell me, Sasuke- other than the night terrors, are there any other things that you do, or that happen to you, that are new since then?"

"A few," Sasuke replied, keeping his word that he would be truthful. "I get insomnia sometimes, and a friend of mine likes to point out that I get startled easily now, as well as angry. I started smoking…"

"Anything else?" The doctor asked as Sasuke paused.

"Yeah," Sasuke said quietly after a moment. "I found the idea of relationships difficult. I used to think it was worthless to try, because I didn't want to lose anyone else. Then I realised I _couldn't_ get close to anyone- I just _couldn't_. I just felt numb. I did recently meet someone, and it's really helped. I'm only here because of him. He said he had a suspicion about what was wrong with me, and he wants to help me move on from this."

If the doctor was shocked at the use of 'him', he didn't show it. "He's a smart young man, then. What did he think was wrong?"

"PTSD."

The doctor turned to Sasuke again, nodding. "I think he's correct. I think you have chronic PTSD. The symptoms you've described to me fall under this category. Insomnia, flashbacks in the form of nightmares, hyperarousal- that's the quick startle response you mentioned before- and dissociation. The feeling of being numb. They are all treatable, and in time, you will feel better about the incident, and better about life in general."

"That would be nice," Sasuke responded in a whisper.

"Coming here today to talk to me must have been tough, but I think you've done the best thing you can, Sasuke. I'll give you a prescription of sertraline- if that doesn't help, come back to me."

He wrote the prescription out swiftly. Sasuke watched him, feeling slightly detached from the situation. This was the most talking he'd done since he had reported what had happened, and been quizzed by the police for details.

"Here."

Sasuke took the prescription when it was handed to him, folding it and putting it into his pocket.

"I'll arrange an appointment with the therapist at the hospital," the doctor told him. "For now, go home, Sasuke. Relax. You're in good hands, now."

Sasuke gave him a nod of thanks, standing and making his way to the door. He was starting to feel slightly claustrophobic in the small room.

He found himself clutching at the wall as he walked back through the narrow corridor to the waiting room, where the exit was. He felt slightly dizzy, and his heart felt like it was going to burst through his rib-cage.

He had done it. He had finally done it. For a long time, he'd thought about going to see a doctor, hoping they might have an answer for him. Hoping they might be able to help him not feel like life was worthless. Hoping they would understand the reasons why he had kept this a secret for so long…

Sasuke paused, closing his eyes as he felt tears creep up within them. He scolded himself, even though he was more elated than sad at that moment. Maybe this was what Naruto was talking about when he said talking to a counselor would help? He'd spent the past unknown length of time opening up to the doctor, and it had made him feel _good_.

He smiled, heading out of the doctor's surgery, smiling to himself and fighting the urge hum happily. He always hated it when Naruto did it, and he wasn't about to pick up the blonde's annoying habits now.

He pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket, intent on keeping his promise to Kakashi. He needed something to do to occupy him as he walked across town to the pet store, at least.

The phone was telling him he had a text message, so he opened it, knowing it would be one of two people.

_Text me when you're out._

Naruto. He should have known. Sasuke rolled his eyes and dialed the shop's number- mobile to mobile was expensive, and he was running low on credit as it was.

Naruto answered quickly, as though he'd been sitting next to the phone watching it, waiting for it to ring. Sasuke smiled to himself in amusement.

"Have you been waiting by the phone?" He asked.

"Huh? No!" Naruto replied, a little too hastily. "Well? What happened?"

"He thinks you're right," Sasuke replied. "About the PTSD. He'd given me a prescription for… Well, something he seems to think will be useful, and he wants me to see a therapist."

"See, see?" Naruto bragged, and Sasuke could almost _see_ the smirk on his face.

"Yes, you were right," Sasuke sighed. "Would you like a medal?"

"No, but I would rather like some chocolate if you happen to be passing a store on the way back here."

"Yeah, yeah."

"The estate agent called again," Naruto said after a moment- now he knew Sasuke was alright, it seemed other conversation was permitted.

"They did? I told them to talk to Kakashi about everything."

"They called to say they've sold your house."

Sasuke stopped walking, the shock rooting him to the floor. "They have? That was fast."

"Apparently, an elderly couple went to visit it yesterday, and they called this morning to offer the asking price. I suggest you start looking for a place to live, Sasuke."

"Yeah," Sasuke replied, beginning to walk again. "I will do. I'll try and find a nice flat in the city center. The estate agent said I could get a house, but I'd rather a flat- it's hard enough keeping a big house clean as it is now I'm working."

"The area I'm in is nice," Naruto said, and Sasuke smirked. He knew what his boyfriend was hinting it.

"You mean, the area is nice and _you_ live there?"

"Possibly."

"Well, since I was going to ask you to move in, I didn't think there would be a problem."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment.

"Is that so?" Naruto said eventually, keeping his voice neutral. "Well, I'll move in on one condition."

"I don't like the sound of this."

"We can get a pet."

Sasuke thought about that for a moment, before sighing. "Alright, fine. We can do that on _my_ condition."

"Oh…?"

"You shut up and let me smoke, trying to quit is driving me _crazy_."

Naruto laughed slightly. "Alright, _fine_."

"Good, then it's decided. My credit's running low, Naruto, I'll see you when I get there."

"Don't forget my chocolate!"

Sasuke sighed lengthily. "I won't, Naruto. See you soon."

He hung up, still smiling to himself. It seemed today was going to be a very good day.

-.-.-

_Author's Note: Epilogue next, then it's done! Doneeeee!_

…_And I've already written part of a new chaptered fic. It seems I'm not happy without an ongoing SasuNaru on my hands!_


	10. Final Step: Epilogue

**Final Step: Epilogue**

One month later

Sasuke pushed open the door to his home, closing the door loudly. He grinned as he heard the front room door fly open, admitting Naruto to the hallway.

"How was it?" Naruto asked.

"Not too bad," Sasuke replied, leaning against the front door once it was closed. "I'm _tired_. The doctor warned me the first therapy session could be 'emotionally exhausting', but I didn't expect it to be this bad. I don't think I've ever cried so freaking hard in my life."

"It'll get better," Naruto reassured him, opening his arms out slightly. Sasuke took the hint, walking over and letting himself fall into the hug. "Trust me. It's upsetting to begin with, but it really does work."

"I feel a lot better since I started taking those tablets the doctor gave me, anyway," Sasuke admitted, pulling free of the hug. "With this, I'm sure I'll be feeling on top of the world in no time."

"Well, maybe not _no_ time," Naruto replied with a small laugh. "But you will, eventually. Here, here, come in the living room. I have a surprise."

"Oh?" Sasuke asked suspiciously as Naruto opened the door.

"Close your eyes! I got the pet you said we could have!"

"Oh _wonderful_," Sasuke sighed, closing his eyes and letting Naruto lead him into the room by the hand. "Does it have all its limbs? Or does it have two heads?"

"Oh shush, he's in one piece. Open your eyes- he's asleep on the sofa."

"It's got to be a cat or a dog, then," Sasuke replied, opening his eyes and training them to the cream leather sofa. A slightly overweight and fluffy black and white cat lay there, apparently awake now, looking up at him in disdain…

"You're kidding me," Sasuke deadpanned.

The cat stood up, stretching himself out and hissing at Sasuke.

"It's Barney!" Naruto said- it was unneeded. Sasuke could_ see_ that.

"I can see that," Sasuke replied. "Why do we have the Hellcat? Where's the real pet?"

"This is him!" Naruto answered, beaming and practically bouncing up and down in excitement. "I was thinking about what pet we could get, then I thought 'why not bring Barney home?' He didn't have a _real_ home, so now he does!"

Sasuke continued to look at Barney, resisting the urge to push him off the chair. "He's getting black fur on my cream sofa."

"Its leather, it'll wipe clean. Stop fussing."

"Yes, and as we've learnt, _I'm_ the one who does the cleaning around here. _And_ the cooking. What do _you_ do, Naruto?"

Naruto grinned, grabbing Sasuke and pulling him towards the sofa. He shoved Barney off of it gently, pushing Sasuke down onto it and pouncing on top of him.

"I'm the living room ornament," he purred, kissing Sasuke deeply. Sasuke returned it, twisting his hands in Naruto's hair as he did so. His hands wandered down, fiddling with the buttons on Naruto's shirt.

"And what are you doing?" Naruto inquired, breaking the kiss.

"I've spent most of the morning crying and talking about stuff I'd rather forget," Sasuke reasoned. "Forgive me for wanting some… Recreation when I get home."

"Is that what you call it now?" Naruto asked. "_Recreation_?"

"Do you have any other words for it?" Sasuke asked, licking his lips slightly as he finished unbuttoning Naruto's shirt, throwing it to the floor.

"I think 'mind blowing' was what you called it last time," Naruto answered, hands reaching out for Sasuke's shirt. He had less tact- simply grabbing it and pulling at it, intending to send the buttons flying to save time. However, he tugged and tugged, unable to open it.

"Idiot," Sasuke sighed, batting Naruto's hands off and starting on the buttons. "This is a good shirt, it's designed so the buttons _don't_ fall off easily."

Once the shirt was on the floor, Naruto dived back in for more kisses- Sasuke happily allowing him.

"In here?" He breathed as Naruto leant forward and began to unbuckle his belt.

"Why not?" Naruto answered. "I think the bed's getting rather worn in."

"And the kitchen table."

"Yes, that too."

"And the shower."

"Mm."

"So this sofa is one of the only places we _haven't_ broken in yet."

"Is that so?"

"Don't you think we should remedy that, Sasuke?"

Sasuke grinned in response, locking their lips together again in a non-verbal response.

He stopped as he heard a noise from his side, looking down at the floor. Barney was sitting there, eyes focused on the semi-naked couple with his head cocked to one side in what seemed like confusion. He was hissing at Sasuke, who scowled and jumped off the sofa.

"Get out," he snapped at the cat, standing over him with his hands on his hips.

Barney ignored him.

"I said get _out_," Sasuke said again, louder.

"Oh, leave him, he's alright," Naruto argued, grabbing Sasuke's hand and trying to tug him back onto the sofa.

"I'm not doing anything with this fucking hell-spawn watching," Sasuke answered firmly. "I don't trust him to keep his claws to himself."

He reached down and scooped the cat off the floor. Barney's demeanor changed instantly- he began to purr, leaning into Sasuke as he carried him out of the room.

Sasuke dropped him unceremoniously on the floor, slamming the living room door shut in his face as he tried to follow.

"He's whining," Naruto said as Sasuke flung himself back down onto the sofa. "Listen."

"I don't want to," Sasuke replied. "Where were we?"

"But, Barney-"

"I don't _care_, Naruto."

"But he's-"

"Do you want me to fuck you or not?"

Naruto shut up instantly, grinning and letting Sasuke capture his lips once again. With an offer like that, how could he refuse? He could make it up to Barney later…

As Sasuke began to nibble his ear, he shuddered, rearranging his thoughts.

He could make it up to Barney_ much_ later.

-.-.-

_Author's Note: I'm still not comfortable writing lemon yet. Sorry :) The power of imagination is more powerful than my writing anyway, I'm sure!_

_It's done, it's done, it's done! Thank you everyone for your support and reviews- especially all the people who have been with me from the start of this, or even from Andante! I tried to list you all, but there's too many of you, which makes me feel all happy I have to say. It's nice to know that people want to keep reading my stuff!_

_I'll post the new thing I'm working on soon. It's in early stages right now, so don't expect it tomorrow or anything XD I've been writing all day, and I need to eat. I seem to have forgotten to do so. Hmm. Whoops!_


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